R I S E
by Nautica7mk
Summary: Love is waiting.
1. Separation

**Title**: R I S E

**Author**: Nadia Mack

**Timeline**: Post-Smallville and prequel to Batman Begins

**Summary**: Um… I'm working on this.

**Disclaimer**: I Own Nothing

**Author's Notes**: This is a prologue to Batman Begins and another interpretation to how Lois goes into Journalism and to Metropolis. Is this Lois and Clark related? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out.

**Chapter 1 - Separation**

_Moscow, Russia 2007_

"Остановка! Это - Полиция!" The Russian cops screamed after him, but they weren't as fast or as determined as the man that they're trying to catch.

The man continued to run; his legs seemingly wouldn't let him give up. His lungs burned with intensity as he made his way towards Bell Tower of Ivan the Great. He hid easily behind its stony walls as the Russian Officials began to look around, and to no avail, they found nothing.

Sighing with relief, he often wondered if his quest to rid the world of the criminals and the corrupt was enough to sooth his own mind, or was he doing all this for the wrong reasons. He'd abandoned his life of prestige and luxury for the sheer force to understand.

Is it all worth it?

He quickly removed his jacket to avoid being recognized, and the chill in the air struck him without regret. He clutched his side, feeling the sting when leather met flesh, he had hurt himself several blocks before, and now his bloodstained shirt was evidence of his recklessness.

As he left the confines of the old Pietro Antonio Solari landmark, he is halted by an incoming officer.

"Поднимите ваши руки," the officer uttered. Russian wasn't exactly his language of choice, but from the sound of it, he wanted him to put his hands up.

"I think you're mistaken," he tried to swarm his way out of it. "I'm just a tourist"

He heard the cocking of the officer's gun and a brief flashback to when he was a child crept into his consciousness.

"Honey, there you are!" A voice he did not recognize spoke in the air. He could only blink his surprise when she came up to wrap her arms around him. First thing he noticed was that she smelled like lilac.

"Follow along," she whispered to his ear before inserting her hand around his arm. She turned to the officer and spoke fluent Russian.

"Есть проблема?"

"Вы с ним?"

"Да"

"Я сожалею о недоразумении. Продолжить"

When it was over, she turned to him and they started walking hand-in-hand back towards Bell Tower, getting out of the officer's line of sight.

"What did you say to him?" He curiously asked.

"Don't worry about it; he's under orders to bring in lone tourist Caucasians," she answered simply, without a hint of an ulterior motive. He wasn't sure how to respond to that.

As they made their way to the octagonal, three-story main tower, its stairs rose 329 steps to its top, where the belfry's arched openings are filled with bells, each with its own name, including the great 19th century Dormition Bell; they rang out as a warning or jubilee throughout Moscow's history.

"Are you in the habit of rescuing strangers?" He knew nothing about her, but the young woman before him suddenly became a fascination. She had shoulder length light brown hair and tight fitting jeans with an interesting belt he wouldn't dare read before her. She's also American that much he can tell.

"Depends on the stranger," she mused lightly. They stopped and she eyed the body of the tower, touching the brick and deep foundation of white stone. "This is where I leave you, good luck," she says, leaving him alone.

He was momentarily shocked by the display of selflessness. She didn't even ask for a name or even a favor in return. She had practically just saved his life and all she wanted in return was absolutely nothing. He's been traveling the harsh world for four years; she had been the first to ask for nothing in return.

With careful deliberation, he followed her home. Well, he thought it was home until it was too late to realize that she had known he was following her.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped at the voice; it was neither kind nor hostile.

"I was just…"

"Following me," she finished.

"Kind of," he replied embarrassingly.

"Why?"

"I…" he paused, not the sort of thing he was used to. "I needed to know your name"

Her face that was devoid of any emotion a few moments ago turned soft yet careful.

"You could've just asked"

He took off his gloved hand and extends it towards her. "My name is Bruce Wayne," he greeted, but to his surprise, she shown no change upon learning who he was.

"Lois Lane," she shook his hand with a tiny bit of hesitation. "Now that introductions are out, it was interesting meeting you. Bye"

Again, she surprised him. Did she not know who Bruce Wayne was?

"Wait!" he called out to her, stopping her once more. She sighed when she turned around.

"What?" she answered, hands on hips.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips by her reaction. She was genuinely annoyed with him and he found that to be a welcomed reprieve from his solitary life.

"May I walk with you? I mean, walk you home?" he stuttered a bit. He found it rather funny, he's never stuttered before.

She watched him closely, watching the way his eyes focused on hers. He shivered slightly and she began to notice how thin his clothing is, and she couldn't help but notice the bright red spot that was spreading beneath the jacket that was doing a poor job of covering it.

"You're hurt," she observed out loud. Bruce blinked then taking a quick glance to his abdomen. He saw the blood seeping through his jagged clothes and he tries to cover it but was instantaneously met with soft resistance and the warmth of the woman's hand on his side.

"This can get infected," she continued on, assessing his wound. She removed the scarf he hadn't realize was around her neck and wrapped it around his waist.

"You don't have to…"

But he was cut off. "I'm not going to let you keep going with a cut this deep… unless you're inspiring to be the next David Blaine, let me help you," she quipped.

Bruce smiled the first smile he's given to anyone since he left Gotham.

"What do you have in mind?" he finally relented.

"I don't live far from here. We'll clean this up, put some fresh bandages on it, eat some soup… and so long as you remain the perfect gentleman, you can be on your way"

"You'd do that?" he eyes her suspiciously but warmly. "For a perfect stranger?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You're hardly perfect." Then smirked. "Or a stranger"

Bruce wasn't surprised. "You know who I am."

Noting his unbalanced walk, she puts his arm around her shoulder, guiding him. "A lot of people know who you are, Mr. Wayne…"

"Bruce," he says. "Please call me Bruce"

"Bruce," she agreed.

"Why are you helping me?" He wanted to know.

"Because if I were in your position, I would hope someone would be kind enough to help me," she says, her eyes recalling a memory of the past.

_Shortly thereafter_

"Nice article," Bruce comments.

Lois looked up. "Huh?"

"The article, on the table, it's good."

She gets a little embarrassed upon seeing her notepad and several sheets of paper messed up across the table. "Oh." She rushes towards it, putting them away. "It's nothing"

"You're writing for Komsomolskaya Pravda, the most popular Russian newspaper. That's not nothing"

"Yeah," she says not taking his words seriously. "Pretend you didn't see that"

"Why?" He says, grabbing a newspaper and flipping it to her direction. "I like it… it tells the truth." He read it over again and noticed something peculiar. The byline.

"Hmm…" he reacted to it.

Lois rolls her eyes. "What now?"

"It says here this article was written by Ellen Cole. I didn't peg you as an alias type"

She reaches to take the paper off his hands, but he yanked it backwards, keeping her hands off it. "You're feisty"

"And you're grating on my nerves." She crossed her arms. "Keep away from my stuff."

Bruce took the hint. "I'm sorry." He puts the paper down and got up, albeit with a bit of struggle. "I should go, thanks… for everything"

Halfway to the door, Lois's voice called out to him.

"Bruce!"

He spun around. "Look," he began to explain. "You helped me, rescued me really and… that… doesn't happen to me often, or ever, not since I've been out here anyway"

"How long have you been away?" she asks him a question finally.

Bruce sighs mentally, relieved. "Four years next month"

Lois nodded then headed to a nearby dresser, opening it to remove another newspaper. It was an old edition of The Daily Planet. She hands it to Bruce.

"Perry White, former reporter extraordinaire was hired as the Planet's new editor a couple months ago. Three weeks ago I came home and found him waiting for me in the lobby … I thought my various alias were doing a discreet job. I was sorely wrong"

"Did he threaten you?" If he did, Bruce would see to it that Lois was protected, even when she didn't know it. He felt he owed her at least that.

She smiles but not really amused. "No. He offered me a job"

Bruce again is surprised. "And that's bad thing?"

She shrugged.

"If you're good, then why hide it when you know you can make a difference," he adds.

"I can make a difference regardless of what name I use in the byline." She puts the article away again. "You should get some sleep"

"Will you be here when I wake up?" he asks almost like a child.

She smiled, and this time, it was real.

"Good night"

_A Year Later, 2008_

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

Lois nodded. "I'm a few credits short of a Bachelor's degree and I think I have a better chance getting it if I stayed in one place long enough. Besides, Perry is really pushing me to work at the Planet, and I can't ignore him forever."

"I can make a few calls"

"Bruce," she says softly. "You've been a good friend… a great friend. But there's _your_ life. And then there's _mine_. As much as I've appreciated you letting me tag along on your adventures…"

"Hey! Half of those adventures were yours," he reminded her playfully.

She grinned. "I didn't want to burst your already over-inflated ego"

He smiled, but then became serious. "What are your plans?"

"Well, I've saved up enough money to afford a place in Metropolis for at least four months. I don't care how much Perry guarantees that I'm a shoe-in, if things don't work out, I don't want to worry about living the homeless life"

"I could…"

She shook her head. "I won't take handouts, Bruce. I shouldn't have to keep telling you this"

"Can't blame a guy for trying"

"How about you?" Lois changed the topic to him. "Where will you be heading?"

"China"

"China?"

"Why not? It's a wonderful tourist spot"

Lois laughs. "You're crazy"

"That's open to interpretation," he smirked.

"You take care of yourself, okay?" she urged, both honestly and protectively.

"As long as you do the same, Lois," he agreed, reaching out and engulfing her in a hug. Moment's like these he truthfully contemplated about leaving it all behind. Leaving it all behind even for her, but he knew she would have none of it.

As he let her go, he removes an envelope from his inner coat pocket. "When you get to Metropolis, I want you to mail this to Alfred," he tells her.

She arched a curious eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"

Bruce shook his head. "It's a precaution. I haven't been keeping contact with much of anyone back home, especially the board members of Wayne Enterprises. I have to make sure that if they decide to make any rash decisions on my behalf; my family's legacy continues to live on"

"I understand"

No more words were needed to be said. Lois Lane gives him one last hug before both go their opposite directions. She puts the envelope carefully into her pursue, exchanging it for another envelope that held her passport and plane ticket.

Flipping it open and removing its contents. She sighed deeply, reading its fine print.

Next stop… Metropolis.

_Six Months Later, Metropolis_

A young woman in her early twenties with shoulder length blonde hair stepped out of the elevator in various stages of unease. What used to be her lifelong dream was now nothing but a distant memory. Moving towards her destination in baby steps, she inhaled deeply when she caught sight of an old friend.

Confidant…

Her sister, basically.

"Lois," her voice was nervous, and Lois almost didn't hear her if she hadn't popped her head up.

"Chloe?" Lois responded with a bit of start.

The older cousin Chloe had not seen in a couple of years stood up from her desk. "What are you doing here?"

Chloe weakly smiled, saddened by her inquisition. When she first read Lois's expose on the front cover of the world renowned _Daily Planet_, she couldn't believe it. One cover became two, then three, and before she could fully comprehend everything, Lois had risen to the top of investigating reporting.

And she did it all in a matter of months.

She was proud of her cousin's accomplishments, but sad that she wasn't a part of it.

"I was in the neighborhood," Chloe answered appropriately. "It's been a long time"

Lois didn't react too much, not that she expected her to. Lois was always better at schooling her features. Chloe had tried, but some emotions just can't be hidden away at a moment's notice.

"I read your article the other day on S.T.A.R. Labs," she added somewhat awkwardly. "It's a hell of a story"

Lois returned her attempt at conversation with a smile. "It was hardly a story. All I did was stand around with my tape recorder along with the ability to press play. Everything else was just wordplay"

"Still," Chloe shrugged. "It's a great article"

"Well in that case… thank you"

"LANE!" the editor of the Daily Planet screamed from behind his office. Lois shuddered at the tone which was soon followed by the rolling of her eyes.

"Perry White," Chloe shook her head in amusement, recalling the time she met the drunken fool in Smallville. "How's that working for you?"

Chloe could see her eyes twinkling. "He's quite a character," Lois admitted truthfully.

"LANE! GET OVER HERE NOW OR YOU'RE FIRED!" Perry shouted once more.

"You should go before he does," Chloe insisted, immediately guilty for visiting her unexpectedly, but all Lois did was wave it off.

"Nah, don't worry about it. He threatens me every day; work just wouldn't be the same without it"

This time, Chloe really smiled and then chuckled. "Umm… if you don't mind, I thought maybe we can have lunch or something… some time." The little girl in Chloe desperately wanted to reconnect with the woman she always regarded to as a sister.

"I'd like that," Lois replied evenly.

"Great!" Chloe says relieved. "I'll call you about the particulars," she added with enthusiasm.

Lois smiled. "Looking forward to it"

When Lois tended to her editor's calls, Chloe stepped into the elevator and sighed gratefully when she leaned on the back wall. She hoped that it wasn't too late to mend their broken relationship.

_2½ Years Ago_

Clark, Lana and Chloe were hanging in the Talon after hours just talking.

"Maybe if someone tells her what she's doing wrong, maybe she'll do something about her life," Lana recommended.

"Please!" Clark scoffed at the idea. "Lois may have a _couple_ nice qualities, but she's a lost cause"

"Clark!" Lana turned to him appalled. "She's not a lost cause"

Chloe sat completely uncomfortable by the choice table conversation. The three have spent majority of the night nitpicking her cousin's lack of responsibilities that even she began feeling sick. Lois isn't like how everyone always thinks of her, and for the first time since she's known Lana and Clark, she wished they weren't her friends at the moment.

"Guys, can we just stop talking about her like this. This is my cousin, not some brain-dead jock"

Clark fell rapidly guilty. "I'm Sorry, Chloe"

"No you're not," Lois's voice rang out behind them. The three sat still in horror of the situation. How much had she heard?

"Lois!" Chloe stood up to approach her when a Lois raised her hand to make her stop. She looked past her and faced Clark dead in the eye. "The check's in the mail," she said without emotion before walking behind the counter, retrieving what she left behind.

She exited, leaving everyone, particularly Clark Kent guilty for what they have said and done.

The next morning, Clark walked into his room to apologize to Lois, but what he saw instead through him back without warning. His room was completely cleaned of any remnants of Lois's belongings. Every possession and every sign that would show that she was there was all gone.

Clark ran out of the room and met with his parents in the kitchen. They were silent and Clark knew that something had happened.

"Mom… Dad… where's Lois?"

His father was about to reluctantly answer, but with a soft touch of his wife's hand on his shoulder, he knew that this was one conversation Jonathan was glad he didn't have to begin.

"Clark," Martha began, unsure exactly how to proceed with Lois's sudden departure. "Lois left this morning"

Clark eyed her and his father with confusion. "Where'd she go?"

Martha looked at him unknowingly. "She didn't say"

"Why would she leave without telling anyone?" Clark reacted not how anyone expected, not even to himself. After last night, Clark even wondered to himself if he had a right to be angry with her.

"Clark," Martha soothed. "She's been planning to leave for a while now"

Clark stares at her in surprise. "What?" This was news to him.

Jonathan decided this was his cue to jump in. "Lois has been working overtime with your mother at the Talon. Half for the rent. Half for her savings. She wasn't supposed to leave at least till Spring Break, but…"

"I guess something came up and Lois had to go," Martha finished for him in which Jonathan smiled gratefully to her for the save.

Lois, to both Martha and Jonathan, has become an important part of their family. They _felt_ like she was a part of their family. Seeing her gone saddened both their hearts.

Clark felt completely broken. He walked out of the kitchen, his mind in a daze. Walking down his porch steps, he didn't even see Chloe in the distance. When he lifted his gaze to look at hers, he knew nothing would be the same.

_Present Day, Metropolis_

Lois exited Perry's office with a frown. It's been a long day and all she wanted was to go home, pop open a sherry, put on some soft tranquil music and fill her tub with warm water with bubbles.

She plopped down on her ergonomic chair and switched her HP desktop on. The View Sonic flat screen whirled to life. It was slow going. System upgrades were annoying, she always had to reboot her computer, and that takes an exorbitant amount of patience she didn't have.

Then Lois recalled her brief conversation with her younger cousin, Chloe Sullivan. It went well, better than she initially expected. She was surprised at first, but quickly recovered.

The past was the past and it's honestly been over two years since she thought about them last. Every once in a while she'd think about the good times and the amusing times, but there were rarely any moments where she truly spited her.

She guessed in her heart of hearts, she will always love her cousin. But, she didn't have to know that right away, she mused.

When her computer finished booting, she Ctrl+Alt+Delete to get the Login Prompt, and once she logged into her system, she googled her next assignment.

She had to start somewhere.

_Next Day, Lunch at Metropolis_

Chloe sat nervously, waiting for her cousin to arrive to meet her for lunch. She hoped that she kept her word to come; she left a message on her voicemail about where to meet. Chloe was surprised she still kept the same number all these years.

"This seat taken?"

Chloe looked up and saw Lois's beaming face looking down at her.

"Hey!" She smiled brightly, gesturing to the seat next to her. "You made it"

"I said I would"

"I hope I didn't take you away from a big story," Chloe randomly apologized.

Lois gave out a small chuckle before taking a sip of a glass of water that the waitress just handed to her. "You kidding me, this will probably go down in history as my first decent lunch break"

"I take it you work through lunch?" Chloe says impressed, not that she wasn't already.

"And sadly through dinner too"

They both laugh, but then Chloe got a bit nervous and she began fumbling her words. It was now or never.

"About what happened…" she paused, lacing her fingers in front of her. "Before…"

"Water over the bridge Chloe," Lois dutifully assured, but it didn't make Chloe feel any better.

"Still…" Chloe was skeptical, because if it was the other way around, she wouldn't have been that easily forgiving, at least, she didn't think so.

"Look." Lois set her water down and looked at her straight in the eye. "I was angry," she admits. "For a whole couple of months, but I'm over that. I have been for a long time"

"You have?"

Lois inhaled deeply to ease her thoughts and help set things straight. "I would have much rather it said to my face rather than behind my back, but the truth is, you weren't wrong."

"We weren't?"

Lois smiled at her childlike responses. Something's can never change between them.

"Leaving pushed me to be better," Lois reveals.

"I missed you, Lois"

Lois smiled weakly in response. She kept Chloe and the time she spent in Smallville tucked neatly behind the forefront of her mind. Now that she's right in front of her, it's all threatening to unravel.

When Lois noted her cousin's uncomfortable shift, she thought it was her responsibility to break the ice further.

"How about you? What have you been up to?"

At this, Chloe smiled, her eyes sparkling as it did so. She was eager to share something with her.

"I'm a writer"

"Not surprised," Lois replied, smiling.

"Novelist," she corrected, much to Lois's amusement.

"Oh yeah, what genre?" Lois replied interested.

"Mystery," Chloe answered with a proud nod.

Lois laughs. "All those meteor freaks back in Smallville finally got to you, huh," she commented lightly.

"Writing editorials about meteor-infected humans doesn't exactly lend credence in the academic community, so one night I started writing a story about them and before I knew it, I sent in my first draft and got an immediate reply. It's been pretty wild"

"I'm happy you're doing well"

"Me too." There was a momentary silence, and Chloe decided to breach the subject. "The Kent's are doing well, Mrs. Kent owns the Talon in Smallville now."

Lois's eyes perk up at the mention of Mrs. Kent. "That's great," she smiled wholeheartedly. She has always thought of the woman as a surrogate mother, and was glad that things were going well for her just as they are for her cousin. "How about Mr. Kent?"

"Still working the farm… he has to now that Clark's been gone"

Lois didn't verbally respond and simply opted for a nod.

"He's been traveling, you know," continued Chloe. "Every postcard we get from him is from a different country." When Lois made no sound or move to halt the topic, Chloe kept going. "And he's becoming quite the journalist himself"

Lois smiled despite herself. She knew all this already. She's read several of his articles during her own travels as well as her work at the Daily Planet. Not bad for a farmboy.

As if the God's were with her, as soon as Chloe finished talking about everything that's happened since she left Smallville, her cell phone rings with Perry screaming on the other line. Lois even had to put the phone a little ways away from her ear to prevent hearing loss.

"Is he always like that," Chloe frowned, hearing Mr. White's voice as clear as day.

"All day every day"

"And you're okay with that?"

"He's not as bad as people think. He's dedicated, stressed and a recovering alcoholic. That man's making strides"

Chloe laughs. Same old Lois. Same old Perry White.

Once the call was over, Lois turned to her cousin. "I have to go"

"No, it's okay. I've manipulated your time long enough," Chloe smiled. "Do you think we can do this again?" she asked wearily.

Lois swung the strap of her purse over her right shoulder. "I'd love that," she replied honestly. "I'll see you later, Chlo"

Chloe smiled at the nickname Lois always used to use when they were children. "I'll see ya." She waved her goodbye.

Across an ocean and two continents, and young man in his early twenties with jet-black hair, blue-eyes, a well-defined jaw line and a physically built physique climbed through the jungles of the African wilderness.

He stops a few inches off a high waterfall called the Mutarazi Falls. It was officially listed as the fifth highest waterfall in the world. It was a 2,499 foot free-leaping waterfall that leaps in two delicate tiers in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, and all he can do is stare out in awe.

He was long passed fearing heights.

As he saw birds fly in the distance, a thought occurred to him. He closed his eyes and focused his hearing in the surrounding area. When the coast was clear, he grinned. He turned around to walk away from the edge only to stop halfway, spin around and run straight back.

With a single leap, he flew.

"Woohoo!" he yelled through the air.

**To be continued…**


	2. Junction

**Disclaimer**: I Own Nothing

**Author's Notes**: I don't like the character of Rachel Dawes. So what I did was remove her from Bruce's present life and integrated Lois in it. Follow me?

**Chapter 2 – Junction**

_Metropolis, 2009_

After four years of traveling the world, Clark Kent was glad to see the familiar sights of the big city. Smallville will always be his home, but there was something inextricably alluring about Metropolis that he couldn't stay completely away.

Before heading to his early morning meeting, he made a quick stop to Pearl Vision to grab a pair of no-prescription eye glasses. He's grown quite accustomed to them after being given a pair in Italy when he was window shopping through various flea markets.

Clark reached into his inner jacket pocket for his cell phone. Flipping it open with one hand, he dialed a familiar set of numbers before putting it to his ears.

"Hey mom," he greeted with a smile.

"Sweetie, where are you?"

"I'm in Metropolis"

"When did you get back?"

"Just a few hours ago," Clark answers. He began walking along the sidewalk to his meeting. "I'm getting ready for my interview with Mr. White"

Click. "Son?" another voice joined in the line.

"Hey dad, I was just telling mom about my interview this morning"

"I heard about that son, good luck," Jonathan says proudly. "I know you'll make us proud."

"Thanks dad." Clark used his free hand to grab some spare change to get a copy of the day's edition of The Daily Planet. "I'm a little nervous though"

"You'll be fine, Clark." Mother's always knows best.

Speed reading through the newspaper, he saw a familiar name on the byline.

Thud! His cell fell from his grasp.

"Clark? Clark you there?" Both Kent's called out into the line.

Clark clumsily picks it up while still reading the article. "Sorry…" he apologized sheepishly. "I got a bit distracted." It was the truth.

"I always knew the city was a crazy place," comments Jonathan.

Martha laughs. "You just be careful, okay Clark?"

"I will mom, I promise." Clark gulped once he finished the article. So much has changed in four years, particular with one Lois Lane.

After she left, it was like the final nail in the coffin that made him finally decide to leave Smallville too. And just when he thought she could never surprise him, she goes out into the world herself and becomes someone he never imagined she could be.

Sophisticated… Goal-oriented… A journalist.

When he called Chloe last year, he was thrilled that she and her older cousin have mended their relationship. Clark felt guilty for his part in that, even to this day he still did.

And now…

In a matter of minutes, he'll be making his way into The Daily Planet lobby and onto the busiest floor, where Editor-in-chief Perry White will be interviewing him for a job. A job in the same place where Lois is working at, and quite possibly, the same floor.

This is going to be hard.

_Twenty Minutes Later, Daily Planet_

"Well I'll be." Perry White stood up from his desk and approached Clark with a firm handshake and an excess amount of energy. "Welcome home, my boy!"

Clark smiled graciously at his hospitality. "Thank you, Mr. White," he replied politely, pushing his thick black framed glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"Psst." Perry scoffed. "What's this entire 'mister' for? Call me chief."

Clark dutifully nodded. "Right… Chief." Clark sat in his chair as Perry sat down himself. Clark made sure to take a deep breath. "I just want to say that I really appreciate you taking the time for giving me this opportunity"

Perry leaned back on the comfort of his chair. "Wasn't a hard decision, Kent." He pulled a drawer open, removing a manila folder and tossed it to Clark's direction.

Clark opened it and is astonished by the contents. It contained majority of his articles during his trek across the globe.

"How'd you find all these?" the young man says in awe.

Perry gave a satisfying grin. "What? You don't think I became editor for the Daily Planet off some Cracker Jack box did you?"

"No, I don't mean…"

"Take it easy Kent; I make it my business to know who's who out there. I would've tracked you down sooner, but you never stay at one place long enough for me to make the offer, and frankly, the expenses were getting to be a little too much." Perry gives an even bigger grin. "So I figured once you make it back to the states, a resume from you to our HR department would soon follow"

Clark was extremely flattered. He hadn't realized Perry White went through all that trouble. "You were that confident that I would go straight here?"

"Ninety percent of most aspiring journalists do," the editor replied proudly. "I included"

Clark was a loss for words. "I don't know what to say."

Perry leans over his desk. "You continue to give quality work like this." He points to his folder. "And you're more than welcome to work here"

"I won't let you down," Clark says, the feeling of exhilaration coursing through his veins.

"See to it that you don't." Perry takes his folder and shoves it back into his drawer. "One other thing, I'm putting you together with our finest reporter"

"Really?" Clark is continuously floored. "You're going to let me work in the City Beat section?" He hoped that was it, because he could barely contain his excitement.

"Why not?" Perry justified. "You've had experience, I want it put to use in this city." He looks pass him. "JIMMY!" he screamed, and with Clark's hearing always on full alert, he achingly heard him.

A young man suddenly appeared. "Yeah, Chief"

"Olsen, this is Clark Kent, he'll be working with Lane in the city beat section. Get his desk ready," he ordered.

"Sure thing, boss." Olsen moved to Clark's direction, offering him a hand. "Nice to meet you, C.K." Clark absentmindedly shook his hand and the kid went on his merry way.

"Uh-huh…" Perry's words still resounding in his ear. Lane. As in Lois Lane. He looked back to Perry and saw that he was already back to his office. Clark quickly races back to him.

"Uh… Mister… I mean Chief?"

Already sitting at his desk, sifting through various stories, Perry didn't look up. "What is it, Kent?"

"When you said I'll be working with Lane… It wouldn't happen to be…"

"Lois Lane," Perry finished, confirming Clark's fears. "She went to meet with a source this morning, she should be back soon. She's a handful, Kent but I have a feeling you'll be able to handle her"

Clark swallowed hard. He hasn't seen her in four years, and even though she and Chloe are back to being friends and family, he still didn't know where he ranked in her good graces, or if he was even in the list.

"I don't think…"

"What Kent? Cold feet already?" Perry shot him a bewildered yet aggravated look. "What's got you all tongue-tied all of the sudden? Lane's an excellent reporter with an eye for finding a worthy story. You'll learn a lot from her"

"It's just…" He paused, contemplating how much he should reveal to his new editor.

"Out with it, Kent, I don't have time for twenty questions"

Before he can answer… "CHIEF!" The oh-so-familiar voice rang out clear through his office. "WHAT IS THIS ABOUT A PARTNER?" She stopped right at Perry's door when she saw the other person occupying her editor's office.

It's been so long that Clark was breathless and nervous at the sight of Lois Lane in front of him. "Hi Lois," he greets meekly.

Lois looked him up and down. Gone was the red checkered plaid and blue jeans. Beneath his black blazer, he wore a white collared buttoned up dress shirt and a goldish tie that was slightly askew.

Lois quickly turned her attention to Perry White. "What's this all about, chief?"

"Lane, I want you to meet your new partner," he gestured to Clark's direction.

Lois laughed at his joke, but when she noticed he didn't look at all joking in return, her face turned into a frown. "Tell me you're kidding"

Perry shook his head. "Now, Lois, is that any way to treat a new employee"

"Oh, this is NOT going to happen, Chief." She moved further into his office, the door closing behind her. Clark on the other hand seemed content to blend into the wall and disappear.

"Lois!" The older man pointed authoritavely in her direction. "You're the _best_. We all _know_ you're the best. The _world_ knows you're the best." Perry pulled on Clark's sleeve, placing the man next to him, and right in front of Lois dangerous sight. "Kent here has talent and I want him learning from the best"

Clark didn't know what to say at this point, or anything. He was just too overwhelmed to comprehend everything that's happening that not even his quick abilities of a response would suffice.

"Ugh!" she grumbled and Clark couldn't help but find it cute. Clark quickly shut his eyes, mentally chastising himself for thinking too optimistically.

Clark attempts to compensate. "Look, I don't have to…"

"Quite Kent!" they both exclaim.

Clark took a step back; he could already tell that Perry White and Lois had a mentor-student relationship just by seeing how easily the two acted around one another.

After several minutes of arguing, Lois gives in much to Clark's surprise. Lois isn't the type of person to give in, but considering the man is her boss, mentor and well, boss, this was noticeably an exception.

Lois left Perry… Chiefs, as he likes to be called, out of the office and Clark nervously trailed behind. "Lois… Look… I didn't realize…" He stopped, dropping his things on the ground when Lois halted abruptly.

Clark sinks to the ground, picking his things up awkwardly. After a moment, Lois joined him and Clark is momentarily surprised by her gesture. He should've known, it's not in Lois's character to be vindictive.

"Thanks," he uttered softly.

Clark heard her breath deeply. He saw her eyes looking to him then to the floor, then back to him and he seriously wondered why she was doing that. Did he have food on his face or something?

"God!" she suddenly exclaimed, pulling him in and adjusting his tie. "Four years later and you still have a problem with hand-eye coordination."

Recalling the memory, Clark grins. "I never did know what to do without you," he found himself responding. The closeness was inviting and he made no move to pull away.

Lois's face remained passive and she let's him go as soon as she was finished fixing his tie. "Jimmy!" she called out.

"Yeah Miss Lane," a young man appeared carrying a stack of papers. "Oh hey, C.K. Got your desk ready, its right in front of Miss Lane's here."

Lois grumbled even more, and Clark feels even worse for putting her in such a position.

She continued her focus towards Jimmy. "I received a tip from a source that there's a new player in town. I don't know much except that they're foreign. I need you to go back the last month and cross-check every foreign businessmen, both reputable and not and find me a clue"

"Got it Miss Lane"

"Jimmy!" she scoffs. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Lois?"

"Sorry Miss… err… Lois," he responds weak-kneed. Clark found the interaction between the inexperienced boy and the very experienced Lane quite adorable. "I'll be right on it, Lois," he finished before disappearing with his stacks of paper.

"Thank you," she nodded to herself, satisfied.

"He has a crush on you," Clark observed a little too loudly.

Lois spun around to look at him. "What?"

Clark immediately regretted saying anything. "Jimmy… Olsen… he has a crush on you"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "That's ridiculous; he's like my kid brother." She walked around him and sat at her desk, jiggling her wireless mouse around to open her screen.

Sitting down at his, "Operative word _like_ and not _is_," he argued, and Clark didn't even understand why he kept pressing. He mused at the dramatic irony of the situation. Nearly five years ago he claimed he couldn't stand her, but once she left, he found himself missing her company more and more.

The saying _'You don't know what you've had until you don't have it anymore'_ resonated throughout Clark's mind ever since.

Until now…

"I see your humor is in tact and operational." She says, clearly avoiding his reaction. Lois looks up and noticed someone else familiar walk into the newsroom.

Smiling brightly like Clark had never seen before, he turns to see what she was looking at. All he saw was an older gentleman, standing erect right by the elevators. He had an air of sophistication around him. When he saw Lois approach him, his serene face broke into a wide smile.

"Hello, Miss Lane," he greeted politely and in a British accent.

"Alfred!" Lois hugged him like he was family. "What brings you here, to Metropolis nonetheless?"

Alfred eyes her with secrecy, and Lois noted it immediately by nodding her head accordingly. "Ah, I see"

"Shall I fetch your bags, Miss Lane?"

"I have a feeling that isn't necessary," she grinned.

Alfred chuckles. "Well, you know me, Miss Lane; I like to cover all bases as best as I can"

Lois smiled at Alfred's constant enthusiasm. "I'll be right down, Alfred."

As he left, Lois walks back to her desk and grabbed her purse.

"Look, Smallville, I gotta go." She flew past him faster than he could blink.

"Huh… What?" Clark turned to see her already halfway to the elevator. "And I thought I was fast," he mumbled quietly to himself before getting up and following her.

_Daily Planet Lobby_

"Lois, where are you headed?" Clark asks as he follows her like a puppy, down the elevator and through the lobby.

"I have to take care of something first. Work with Jimmy, he'll tell you where to start"

"You're my partner, remember?" Clark was exasperated.

Exiting the revolving doors of the Daily Planet, she turned to Clark's direction. "Listen," she tells him in a clear leveled voice. "I'm not going off to scoop some story, all right. It's a personal matter, so please, drop it and do as I say"

Clark always finds himself doing what she says, and to this day, he doesn't fully understand why.

"When will you get back?"

"Tomorrow night," answers Lois.

"You're going be gone that long. Lois, where are you going?" he nagged restlessly.

In that moment, a Rolls Royce parks right in front of the curb. The British man from a few minutes ago exits the driver's seat, moving around to open the side door in the rear. He bows his head to Lois's direction.

"Miss Lane"

Lois moves pass Clark and greets the older gentleman. "Thanks Alfred." She takes one more glance back at Clark. "Bye, Clark"

Once again, she disappeared from his life… albeit this time only for a couple of days. Clark had to take a moment and deeply breathe in. He's as confused about her now as he was back when she lived with him and his family in Smallville.

_In-Flight to Gotham City_

"Are you coming back to Gotham for long, sir?"

"As long as it takes to show the people of Gotham that their city doesn't belong to the criminals and the corrupt," he answers truthfully.

"A little dramatic, don't you think?" Lois appeared behind the curtains. She took the liberty of playing co-pilot and waited for the best possible moment to let her presence known. Bruce looks at her for the first time since they parted with a flabbergasted then amused look which was soon followed by a serious expression.

"Sometimes, people need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can't do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, I'm flesh and blood, I can be destroyed." He pauses then continues. "But as a symbol… I can be incorruptible, everlasting…" he describes.

"A vigilante," Lois added, using what the past few years of being an investigative reporter has taught her.

Bruce thought the contrary. "I'm not advocating to take the law into my own hands, nor am I using it to my own gratification"

"So how exactly are you going to accomplish this?" Lois says sternly. Alfred sat back and enjoyed the entertainment.

"Have you told anyone I'm coming back?" Bruce asks the both of them.

Lois shifted uncomfortably in her chair, looking like a little girl who was caught with her hand in the cookie jar, and Alfred started looking hesitant.

"What?" Bruce says flatly.

"I'm afraid I've yet to resolve the legal ramifications of raising you from the dead, sir," answers Alfred in a suddenly amused manner. Lois couldn't help but chuckle at the revelation. She knew he wasn't dead and even fought Wayne Enterprises current CEO Mr. Earle about it, but she could only go so far.

"Dead?" says Bruce wide-eyed.

"You've been gone a long time, sir." Both can hear Lois laughing in the background.

"You had me pronounced dead?" Bruce continued on in the same line of thought. Bruce leaned back, a smug smile forming on his face. "It's a good thing I left everything in your name"

Alfred rested both his hands behind his head, leaning back even more comfortable than before. "Yes… please be sure to fill the tank after using the Royce, Master Bruce"

_Kent Farm, Smallville_

Clark flew home and collapsed disappointingly on the living room couch, hiding his face between his hands wondering how wrong everything has become. He had spent the entire morning preparing excitedly for the interview at the Daily Planet, and when he learned that he was working directly alongside Lois Lane of all people, memories and regrets of the past resurfaced giving him little time to breathe.

The lights flickered on.

"Son?"

Clark barely looked up, but when he finally did, he greeted his father with a tired expression.

"Hey dad"

Jonathan quickly made his way by his son's side. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?" he asks in fatherly concern.

"Define okay…"

"What happened?"

"Where's mom?"

"Working late at the Talon. Don't change the subject and tell me what happened?"

"I saw Lois today"

Jonathan opened his mouth and closed it, no words coming out. Jonathan read the Daily Planet newspaper everyday, so when he first saw Lois's name in the byline of the front page of the renowned paper, he was shocked and proud beyond belief. He and Martha had kept a scrapbook of all her articles just as they do their son's.

"How did that go?" Jonathan asks carefully.

"It was a disaster"

The older Kent chuckled. "It couldn't have been that bad"

"Oh it was," Clark assured without hesitation. "She hates me"

"Lois doesn't hate you"

"No," Clark repeated, not believe believing him. "She **despises** me"

"How much have you two discussed?"

"See, that's the thing, we barely did _and _I'm her partner"

Jonathan was taken aback. "Wait… What? Her partner? Not only do you two work together, but youwork** together**?" Clark nodded his response to his father weakly. Jonathan leaned back and sighed in amazement. "I knew she worked at the Planet, but partners?"

Clark stares at his father in his own disbelief.

"You and mom knew she worked there and you didn't tell me?"

"We didn't have the chance?" Jonathan defended himself. "We just found out you were interviewing there when you called this morning, and you hung up before we got the chance to tell you"

Clark got up even more frustrated than before. "I can't believe this," he uttered to himself.

"Clark…"

"Dad!" he turns to him, his face flushed with sadness. "I don't know what to do. I want to get to know her again and be in her life, but I can't do that when it's pretty clear she wants nothing to do with me"

Jonathan reached out and put a comforting hand to his shoulder. "Have you told Lois this?"

"Do I have a right to?" he asks skeptically. "After what I said, I'm beginning to believe whatever friendship we had back then is irreversible"

"Well, then you're right," Jonathan answers uncharacteristically.

Clark gives him a disappointed look. "Not exactly what I expected to hear from you, dad"

Jonathan chuckles. No matter how much his son has grown, there is still much for him to learn.

"What I meant was that you don't have the right to take back what you lost with her four years ago…" Jonathan continued to look at his son with care and wisdom. "But its okay to try to build a friendship with her now and you can't do that if you keep moving backwards."

His father always had to make better sense than he did.

Clark stood up with a renewed sense of purpose. Jonathan temporarily wonders what he was doing.

"Where are you going, son?"

"I'm gonna head back to Metropolis and wait for Lois. I'll sit outside her apartment in the hallway if I have to"

Jonathan raised both eyebrows. "And then what?"

"I figured begging and pleading for her forgiveness would be a good start"

His father gives a low laugh. "Well, if you're going to do that, why don't you take some of your mother's apple pie? It's Lois's favorite"

Clark smiled, beaming at the idea. If that didn't work, he didn't know what will.

**To be continued…**


	3. Alarm

**Disclaimer**: I Own Nothing  
**Author's Notes**: Thank you everyone that has reviewed and all those who are reading. I greatly appreciate the kind words and encouragement. Some of you know me and some of you don't, but I do write a lot of Lois and Clark related stories that take place in Smallville (and all throughout). If you have any plot suggestions to use, feel free to e-mail and perhaps, you'll see me attempting it in the future.

**Chapter 3: Alarm**

_Next Day, Daily Planet _

Clark Kent went about the day the best he could. He hadn't heard from Lois since the day before, and he's gotten his first earful from his Editor Perry White about the lack of progress in _any_ story.

Jimmy Olsen had been a savior, showing him around the building and telling Clark who was who and how to find who in what floor. It got pretty easier as the day ended, but it still left him exhausted.

Adjusting his glasses, he looked at his new friend Jimmy questioningly. "Jimmy, have you heard from Lois lately?"

The kid shook his head, and Clark frowned. "Sorry, C.K. but she hasn't called in"

Clark exhaled and wondered deeply why he was so disheartened by it. It wasn't like Lois was his; she's not even a friend. They haven't been friends for a long time.

"You like her, don't you." Jimmy states.

Clark attempts to disregard his statement. "No, of course not," he says in denial. "I don't see her like that," he added to further back his argument.

Jimmy was unimpressed by his unconvincing disinterest.

"Everyone here has a crush on her, but they hide it better than you." Jimmy pats his shoulder like they've been buddies for years. "Give it time"

"I don't have a crush on Lois Lane!" Clark says, more sternly. After a moment. "Why, does she have a boyfriend?" He just had to ask.

Jimmy didn't give him an immediate answer, and it worried Clark that perhaps she was already taken. If she was, is she happy? Who's the guy? Could she be with him right now?

"Rumor has it that Lois does have a boyfriend." Jimmy remembered when he first started at the Daily Planet that Lois had been with someone before working for Perry.

Clark was overly curious. "Any idea who?"

Jimmy shrugs. "She never said and no one has the guts to ask." A pause, a memory sneaking up at him. "There was an incident a couple months back in Gotham City. The Gotham Gazette got word that Lois argued on behalf of Bruce Wayne when his company publicly announced that he was dead"

Clark raised his eyebrows at the new and somewhat troubling information. Clark knew little of Wayne Industries except that they were just as powerful a corporation as the newly renamed LexCorp.

"So Lois could be dating a Wayne?" Clark suddenly felt like hitting a wall.

Jimmy shook his head knowingly. "Not _a_ Wayne, _the _Wayne. As in Bruce Wayne, the only living heir to Gotham City's first family"

"How do you know all this? And how can you be so sure?" Clark couldn't believe it, he felt like one of those high schooler's in the back of the gym going over gossip someone possibly heard in the hallways.

"Because a woman like that doesn't fall for guys like us"

Clark is a bit offended but he didn't show it. Lois may be a lot of things, but he knew without a window of a doubt that she isn't shallow, nor does she judge a person by the size of their wallet. He knows because at one time, he knew her.

_Wayne Manor, Outside of Gotham City_

"So tell me…" Lois pressed, as she, Bruce and Alfred walked into Wayne Manor's spacious living room. "How are you going to fight the criminals and the corrupt without getting yourself killed?" Alfred disappears into the kitchen leaving her and Bruce alone.

"I'm still working out the specifics"

"And that would be…"

Just then, Alfred returns with a tray of refreshments when a bat suddenly makes itself known flying directionless up the corner ceiling.

"Whoa!" Lois moved back. Bats. Not her thing.

Bruce saw her momentary fear and an idea popped into his head.

"Bat's sir," Alfred observed. "They nest somewhere along the grounds"

"Hmm… my symbol," Bruce simply answered, getting a curious glance from Lois as well as from Alfred.

A moment later, Bruce walks out into his gardens with a rope and harness. Lois and Alfred trailed behind.

"Where are you going?" Lois asked.

"You'll see"

_The Cave beneath Wayne Manor_

"Pardon my language, but Holy $!t!" Lois raised her flashlight after descending the well. As soon as Bruce gave the go ahead, Lois jumped at the chance to check out his find, and what she saw put her in a state of silent awe.

Alfred briefly explained the history of the Wayne's to Lois and Bruce. While Lois remained in rapt attention, Bruce began mentally making notes on the changes that he will be making.

After a few hours of discovering the cave, back in the surface, Lois showered and readied herself to leave.

"Do you have to go so soon?" Bruce says, offering his glass of bourbon to her.

Lois smiled but shook her head. "A lot of…" She pauses before continuing. "Interesting things are happening back in Metropolis"

Bruce is intrigued. "Care to share?"

"Someone I use to know is now my – and I shudder to even think the word let alone say it – Partner"

Bruce nearly chokes on his drink when he heard her last word. Partner? "You've got a partner?" He wanted to laugh, and he did a little. "Poor guy"

Lois grabs one of the couch pillows and aimed it at Bruce. "Very funny. My ego and pride are hurt enough as it is. I need a little support"

"I'm sure you'll give him hell," he smirked.

"Actually…" her voice slowed, almost to a whisper. Lois takes a seat in a chair. "I was totally unprepared to see him there. One minute, he wasn't even an afterthought in my mind and next… 'Poof!' there he was and now he's…" she motioned all over the place with her hands trying to express what she was thinking or feeling.

Bruce tilted his head, his mind going over her words. He has never seen her open up to him like this before.

"Is he a former lover?" Bruce couldn't help but wonder.

"NO!" she answered a little too quickly. Bruce smiled. "Boyfriend?" Lois shook her head to say no again. "Okay, then what was he?"

"He was a kinda sorta friend"

Bruce's jaw was slightly open. "I'm not even going to try to understand that." He grabs himself a seat and places it in front of where Lois sat. "What was he to you exactly?"

Lois eyed him wearily. "I don't understand the question," she replies evasively.

Bruce took all the will power he's learned the past five to six years to keep the amusement from expressing all over his face. "How do you feel about him?" he tried again.

Lois finds herself bordering on denial. "Could you rephrase the question?"

Bruce sighed, not believing that Lois was being this stubborn. Bruce has so got to meet this guy that got Lois Lane all bunched up, defensive and confused.

"Lois, where does your relationship with him stand?" he asks flatly.

She wished she never brought the subject up.

"I don't know!" She shrugged. "I just saw him again yesterday, and as far as I'm concerned, we never had a relationship."

"So you were never friends?"

"More or less," she quickly waved.

"You're normally not this complicated to talk to." Bruce stopped while he was ahead because one look from a growing angry Lois Lane was enough to keep him from speaking further on the matter. "You sure you want to leave?" he asked her one more time.

Lois sighs. "Wish me luck?"

"Like you need it," he scoffs,

_Apartment Building, Metropolis (Later that day)_

Lois arrived to Metropolis just past eight o'clock. In the hallway, she was searching for her house keys; she was so engrossed in trying to find them that she wasn't even looking where she was going. "Oomph!" She tripped and fell right over.

"Ow!"

Lois stares at what caused her to collide with the floor. Black-haired. Muscular. And is he wearing plaid? Oh great. "Smallville!" she yelled, angry and confused. "What the hell are you doing imitating my doormat?"

"I'm sorry I…" Clark picked himself up, reaching down as he did so to help Lois, but she slapped his hand away.

"I'm fine," she says stubbornly, picking up one broken stiletto.

Clark feels incredibly bad.

"I'm… sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Lois rolls her eyes then shoves the key into her doorknob. She barges into her apartment leaving Clark outside, whose feelings just keep going from bad to worst. Just when he was going to give up and leave… "ARE YOU COMING INSIDE OR NOT?" he heard her say loud and clear.

Clark bounced clumsily back but not without…

"DON'T THINK OF WALKING IN HERE WITHOUT THAT PIE!"

He couldn't wipe the big grin off his face. Thank God for his mom's apple pie. He made sure to keep a mental note to send his mom flowers in the morning. Clark will win her friendship back, even if it meant doing it one pie at a time.

_Lois's Apartment (Continued)_

Clark stood nervously in Lois's living room. The years have treated her well because she isn't as messy as she was back then. Even the mess on the coffee table and throughout her dining table looked organized. Still, his efforts not to examine her apartment was futile, it was as if his mind was inadvertently cataloging each space.

Like a snapshot to store into his mind so he could go back to it later and remember.

Remember just how much they've both changed.

Clark's barely been around her for two days and already he feels the need to get to know her again. To think, once upon a time he couldn't stand her. Now he just can't get enough of her and he's still trying to fathom why.

"Kent, heads up," Lois blurted out, tossing a soda can to him.

With quick reflexes, Clark's head turns to her direction and catches it just in time.

Lois is mildly impressed, casting a smirk in his direction.

"So what brings you lying about in this neck of the city?" Lois asked now that her mind is a little more at ease and a little less annoyed at the detour between herself and her apartment. The very last thing she expected to see was Clark Kent on her doorstep.

"I…" Clark always stumbled with a response. "I…"

"Out with it, Smallville," urged Lois impatiently.

Clark sighs. "I was hoping we could talk," he answered briskly.

"There!" Lois says satisfied. "Now was that so hard?" Now she was growing a bit tired, and it isn't even her guest's fault.

"You're making me nervous," he admits.

She laughs at that. "I _made_ you nervous." Lois points to her door. "You_ were_ camping outside my door," she reminded him.

"I _was _waiting," he defended.

"Sleeping was more like it"

Temporarily forgetting why he was there. "I was _waiting_ and I momentarily rested my eyes," he further explained his actions.

"That's sounds as ridiculous as being caught sleeping." She stops to point at him. "And you _were_ sleeping"

Clark rolled his eyes, and he takes a little too long for a retort.

"I rest my case," she finished.

Clark breathed. "Can we just talk?" he says, getting back to what he originally had in mind to do, but failed miserably in accomplishing. For all the things that changed, arguing with Lois seemed to have survived the years because the familiarity of the moment was like falling back into time and ending up where they first started.

"Clark, it's been a long day. I'm tired and sleepy, can't we do this in the morning?" she complained, and she really was tired.

"No," he refused. They were going to settle this tonight, if he didn't, his mind would explode. Maybe not that overly dramatic, but still…

"Argh!" she reacted. "I'm gonna get a drink"

"No!" he says again, even beating her to the kitchen. Clark puts himself between her and the fridge.

The nerve of him. "Oh, that's not right," she says not liking what's happening one bit. "You sleep in my doorway, force me to converse and not only are you invading my 'personal' space but you've totally blockaded my trip to Wonderland"

"We're going to talk and you're going to remain sober"

"Might I remind you Smallville that you're a guest here?"

Clark crossed his arms and stood his ground. "Consider us even," he says strongly, almost making Lois do a double take. She raised both her eyebrows, silently stunned.

"I can't believe this," she turned, too tired to further argue with him. She is still recovering from jet lag. "I'm going to bed." Before she could even blink, about halfway to her room, Clark was already there.

"What the…" she turned around to face her kitchen, then back at her bedroom door. She sighed deeply, not even trying to figure out how he just did that. "What now? You're gonna stand between me and my bed?"

Clark hadn't really thought about it like that, but the idea sounded appealing. Wait… no…

"You're missing my point, Lois"

"Ah… is that a spark I see in your eyes," she uttered confidently with a hint of allure.

Clark gulped; he absolutely hated it when she did that, even back when they were teenagers. "Don't tempt me." Why did he say that?

"Fine!" she put her hands up and headed back to her living room. She sinks in her lazy boy, reclining it backwards. "All right, talk," she finally agreed.

Clark smiled victoriously.

"Okay" and he inhaled deeply before continuing. "Lois, I'm sorry, about everything. I'm an idiot, I'm…"

"Whoa there, Kent… What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Lois was wide-eyed with incredulity. Where were all these confessing words coming from? Once she thought about it, she looked at him even odder. He can't have been **that** guilty.

"Lois, I said some things I shouldn't have," Clark just refused to listen to her stop.

"Clark"

But he just kept on going. "And I know that I don't deserve it…"

"Clark"

"But I want you to know that I'll…" SPLASH!

Lois was getting a little too weirded out by his Real World Confessional moment that she stops him from speaking any further by throwing a glass of water to his face.

Clark looks at himself dripping all wet before picking his head up to look at her. His breathing calmed yet his jaw clenched together.

"That was wholly unnecessary," he says through gritted teeth.

The second time tonight, she rolled her eyes. That's a record. And is what's happening really happening? Have she and Smallville been bantering the last few minutes? Why now?

"Look, I have no idea what meds your on or what assignment Chief has you doing, but I've been up all day. I'm tired and I'm cranky. And you really don't want to see me when I'm badly cranky, so could we please just put this 'whatever' conversation on hold till morning?" she pleaded with all her tired heart.

For the first time since he saw her tonight, he began to realize that she was truly deeply exhausted. He mentally berated himself for pushing so hard, and for putting her in such a compromising position yet again.

Clark's face immediately softens as he watched her eyes drift to sleep. Physiology won this time. He sat there for a moment just watching her sleep peacefully. And then he did another thing he should've fought against. He lifted Lois in his arms and brought her into her room, and laid her gently down on the bed.

He's never seen anything more beautiful.

After she left his life all those years ago, he never imagined himself thinking about her often, or at all, and for a while, he gravely wondered why he did. But then, he'd remember specifics moments. Moments where she showed more than she let on.

Then another truth made its way to his conscious, Lois saw Clark as her friend. With all the bickering and the teasing – Lois – when it mattered, was there for him. She was his friend but he treated her unlike one.

Out of everything he wanted to say tonight, there were only two words he wishes he didn't stumble saying. And now, this moment was as pure a time as any, and he hoped one day, she'll forgive him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly by her cheek before moving up and placing a kiss on her forehead.

Clark stayed for at least an hour until he knew she was absolutely safe before leaving. Opening her balcony door, tonight, he didn't feel like walking.

**To be continued…**


	4. Dichotomy

**Disclaimer**: I Own Nothing

**Author's Notes**: It's always a pleasure to write for you reader's out there and even more fun for me to write Lois and Clark.

**Chapter 4 – Dichotomy**

_Lois's Apartment (Morning)_

Lois woke up from the oddest dream, she could almost bet on her life that she came home last night to find 'King of the Flannel' himself Clark Kent right on her doorstep. Literally. She remembered it like it really happened.

Hopping off of bed, her body has become systematically programmed to wake up the same time every morning regardless of how late she stays up at night, or how early she ends up sleeping. She looks at the clock and groaned.

6:00 AM

Life sucks.

She plopped on a pair of slippers and headed to the bathroom, but halfway across her hallway she noticed a half-eaten pie on her counter.

Her face scrunched up with disbelief. Last night was real. "I'm having a bad day," she uttered to herself before going about her daily routine like a robot.

_Daily Planet (Same Day)_

Lois walked into the bustling newsroom floor of the Daily Planet. She looked at her watch with a frown.

9:00 AM

There was a budget meeting she notably forgot to attend, but since she was 99.99999 sure Kent would be there, all awake and ready to take notes, Lois regrettably took her time getting there. Fortunately for Lois, the time she took to get to the meeting ended up being the entire meeting.

Unfortunately for Perry White, he would have none of it.

"LANE! MY OFFICE! NOW!" Chief screamed; he was long past sticking his head out and calling for her. Now he just yells for her in his office.

Lois shivered slightly at his tone. Whenever he gets like that, it usually means he has nothing to put on the city beat section.

"Hi Chief," she greeted in a light tone.

"Don't 'Hi Chief' me, young lady." Perry points to a nearby chair for Lois to find and sit.

She does.

"What's going on?" she meekly asked.

"What's going on? WHAT'S GOING ON?" He breathes. "KENT! GET YOURSELF IN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Lois leaned on the armrest while massaging her forehead with her fingers. She could feel the already forming migraine.

"Yes, Chief?" Clark walks in all professional about it. He sees Lois sitting in front of Perry's desk and smiles. "Lois. Hi."

Perry becomes a bit miffed. "Aren't you two partners? You should be greeting each other before your boss calls you into his office. What's the point of having partners when you don't work together?"

Lois's eyes shot up. "That's an excellent question, Chief"

"Lane…" he says in a fatherly pitch.

Lois backs away. "Sorry"

"Grab a seat, Kent," Perry orders.

"Yes Chief"

Perry sat behind his desk like the head editor that he is. He laced his fingers together atop his desk like an obedient student, but his presence radiated with anything but. He was a man on a mission, and he did it with strength and authority and with a boat load of prescription pills.

"Collaboration. Participation. Team Work. Nouns used to imply action." He takes a look at both pairs of eyes in front of him. "Lane." He then looks at Clark. "Kent." Perry takes an even deeper breath. "What have you two been doing the past two days that results in a blank section on my newspaper?"

"I can explain," Lois jumped at the chance first. When Perry looks at her, Lois retreated and glanced at her… partner. "Clark"

Clark was stunned. "Wha… me?"

Perry begins to notice that there's more to their partnership than meets the eye.

"Lois, where were you all morning?"

"Meeting a source"

Clark stares at her; he couldn't believe she met with a source without him.

"Kent, did you know about this?"

Suddenly, Clark was torn. Should he tell the truth or wait to hear Lois give him a lame explanation.

"No, Chief, he didn't." Lois interrupted, much to Clark's surprise.

"And why not?"

"Because… it wasn't on my way"

_Metropolis Museum of Natural History (Same Day)  
_

"You know, I can't believe you said that"

"Said what?"

"In Chief's office this morning. I wasn't with you because I was _out of your way_ – God – You can be so selfish."

"Okay, let's get something straight here, Smallville. I said 'It wasn't on my way' and secondly…" she paused. "I don't deny the selfish part." She spun to walk away but stopped and turned back. "And I _never_ asked for a partner. I was doing fine on my own"

He pulled her from the crowd to a nearby corner, his voice low but serious. "And what, now you feel like you're babysitting me?"

"I never said that"

"You ignore me." Clark counts off on his hand with finger number one. "You run off without telling me where you're going." Finger number two. "You meet sources without me." Finger number three. "And you won't tell me how you really feel"

"Put that hand away before you give somebody the wrong impression," she knocked it off annoyingly.

"See," he expresses. "That's exactly what I'm talking about"

"What exactly do you want to hear from me?"

"You know, we used to work well together. Like a team."

"Not so well," she says softly, her eyes looking for anything interesting other than him.

"I deserve that." Clark knew he did. "I just want you to know that…"

"You're sorry," she finished. "Yeah, I got it last night"

"Then why don't you believe me?"

The sincerity in his soft-spoken voice nearly tackled her already waning wall of defense. She has nothing against him, not really. Most of her issues come from the mere fact that she has worked hard to get where she is, and to suddenly be paired off with someone got to her. To top it all off, it just _had_ to be Clark Kent.

"Because I don't know you," she replied truthfully.

Clark was taken aback. He hadn't expected that. How could she think she didn't know him? Lois may not know the Kryptonian part of him, but she knew him better than most. Sharper.

"That's not true"

It was this point that Lois would've laughed, but she didn't. She kept back, held her ground and forbid herself from showing any possibility that they had something. Lois may not know what that something is, but it was enough that she was afraid to even touch it.

As they made their way out of the museum after a brief meeting with another one of Lois's sources, they walked out side-by-side silent until Lois was ready to talk to him.

"Those things you said about me…" she began the reluctance clear in her voice. "Before I left… they were true."

Clark swallowed with a bit of difficulty. She said it as a statement of fact, not a question directed to him. He wanted to say something but knew from experience that it was best to wait.

"I was irresponsible, reckless and completely without direction"

"Lois…"

"You wanted me to talk, Smallville, so let me talk"

Clark immediately silenced himself.

"But I knew all that already, even before you said it aloud." Clark blinked; he didn't know what to say, so Lois continued. "I made a few calls, worked something out with my dad, I even managed to save some money for myself"

Clark couldn't take it anymore and spoke out of turn.

"And then I open my big mouth and you left sooner than you would've?" He already knew it was true.

"I never blamed you," she admitted, garnering a look of surprised shock off of Clark. "I was mad… Outraged ill-tempered furiously out of this world raging mad." At this Clark smiled and so did she. "But I never blamed you," she confirmed once more.

"But you never said anything," Clark says, wondering why she never did.

She nods. "It was never about you"

Clark smiled at her thoughtfully. "I like who you've become"

She returned it with a smile of her own.

"You didn't turn out so bad yourself." She looks at his business ensemble, noting once more his skewed tie. Lois chuckles softly, closing the distance between them, fixing his tie again.

Lois caught him grinning at her.

"I'm beginning to think you're doing this on purpose, Smallville," she says with a smirk, finishing up his tie.

Clark's grin turned into a big smile. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lois"

Lois shook her head, smiling. "Come on, we've got a story to write." The genuineness in her voice was almost enough to make Clark sweep her off her feet.

Perhaps there is something there.

_Daily Planet (Late, Late at Night)_

Lois walked zombily into the deserted newsroom. She couldn't sleep, she had too many thoughts running rampant in her head that she needed to do something or she would die of boredom.

Just as she was about to head to her desk, she caught the sight of Clark sleeping soundlessly atop of his. She smiled at his sleeping form. It seemed she wasn't the only workaholic around here.

She didn't know why, but she just sat there staring at him, even going as far as noting the features that had changed in him. He is certainly no farmboy she remembered several years ago, their impromptu talk earlier today proved that.

He moved a bit in his sleep. He uttered words like "Jor-El" and "Lara" throughout various moments and Lois mentally struggled deciding whether or not to wake him. "No, please… don't go," he says.

"Clark…" she shook his shoulder a bit. "Wake up," she says softly.

"No!" Clark began to shiver and Lois grew worried.

"Clark." Lois says a little louder and it was finally enough to wake up him.

"AH!" He bolted upright almost forcing Lois backwards.

"Whoa, there, Smallville. Take it easy, it was just a dream," she says in an attempt to comfort him. Clark looked horrible. His eyes were a bit puffy and his hair was disheveled, even on his worst days back in Smallville, he didn't look this bad.

Clark stared at her for a long moment with a mixture of surprise and confusion. He didn't realize he had fallen asleep in the office.

"Lois?"

Lois sat straighter and looked around the clearly abandoned newsroom. "Yup, that's me," she says playfully.

Clark looks at her embarrassingly. "How long have you been here?"

"Is that really important?"

"Depends on my dignity, and if you're willing to give it to me"

Lois smiled but then it turned to concern. "Are you all right? You were really tossing there."

"I've had better days"

Lois looked around and noted a suitcase besides his desk. "Do you have a place to stay?"

Clark was hesitant to answer, he's been flying back and forth to Smallville and Metropolis, and so he hadn't really had the time to look for a place to stay. He was hoping that after his first paycheck, he could actually start saving up for an apartment.

"I just came back a couple days ago; I haven't really had the time to check any places out"

Lois couldn't believe what she was about to say next. "Why don't you stay at my place for a few days," she offered.

Clark's face was a picture of shock.

"You mean, stay with you?" Even with his super hearing, Clark wasn't sure he heard her right.

"Yes, with me… on the couch," she replied flustered by his naiveté.

"Thanks," he says, processing what just happened. Not only were they staying in the same city working the same job and sharing the same byline, but now he'll be staying with her. He should've said no, but deep inside, he really didn't want to.

"Consider us even," she says to make it sound not as serious as it is. She's lived with him for months before, how hard can it be for a few days?

She picks up several notes on his desk. "In the mean time, you look like your making headway on our illegitimate businessman"

"Yeah," Clark mussed up his hair and sat straighter on his chair, sharing with Lois everything he's been looking into. "I think I've got a name, but I don't know much about him. He could possibly be called 'The Roman.' Other than that, I can't get a lead on his identity"

"Falcone"

"What?"

"The Roman was a nickname given to him in the 80s; he goes by his real name now. Carmine Falcone"

"You knew all this already?" he says incredulously.

"I had my suspicions." She hands him the file. "I wanted another set of eyes to take a look at it just to make sure"

Clark is flattered. "I don't know what to say"

"You're a reporter, Clark. You're doing your job; you don't have to say anything you don't need to." She takes off her jacket and sets in aside. Then she takes a seat net to Clark. "Since I can't sleep and apparently, so do you… let's see if we can crack this"

"Is that a challenge?" he responded playfully.

"You want it to be?" she returned teasingly.

Clark expected a lot of things when it came to Lois Lane, but he never expected making up with her to be so much fun.

_Daily Planet, Metropolis (Following Morning)_

Jimmy Olsen loves to come to work on time. Primarily, he's aspiring to be a photographer, he also happens to have a knack at doing research, and even regularly help Lois Lane, the Planet's top investigative reporter on her cases.

Little is known about Lois Lane personally. While everyone in the entire office has a thing or two to say about her, the only person who'd probably know her best is Perry White.

That of course was simply a theory till now.

Walking deep into the newsroom, everyone was gathered near Perry White's office. A circle was more like it. Something must be happening.

"What's everyone looking at?" Jimmy wonders aloud, shoving people out of the way so he can take a look too. "Come on guys, what is it…….. Whoa!"

On the couch laid Clark Kent and… Lois Lane sleeping on his lap.

"Great Shades of Elvis! Let me get to my office, people!" He stops when he notices Lois and Clark sleeping. "Whoa!"

Perry stares at all his associates, and then stares at Lois and Clark. Jimmy even tries to poke Kent in the shoulder once or twice as if to see if they were wax models, and what everyone was seeing wasn't really real.

But it was real.

His two reporters are… Perry shakes his head. Nahhh…

"LISTEN UP EVERYONE!" His voice was so loud, Lois and Clark jumped to their feet.

"Yes Chief!" Lois says.

"Right away, Chief!" Clark says.

"Commitment. Devotion. Seriousness. Nouns used to imply a work ethic." He points to Lois and Clark. "Lane. Kent. Now that you two are wide awake, get me my story." Perry walks into his office and shuts the door.

For Lois and Clark, it felt like they were suddenly run over by a bulldozer. They must've fell asleep while doing more research last night.

They looked up and noticed everyone still staring.

"What?" they both say in unison.

_A month later at the Kent Farm, Smallville_

It's been one month since moving to Metropolis and getting a job with the Daily Planet. One whole month being partners with a particular co-worker who always has an uncanny ability to make him smile.

Everything has been going great. At least, he thought it was.

Clark looked awkwardly at himself in the mirror. "Mom, is this really necessary?" He looked at himself from front to back, checking it out from all angles. "It looks a little… revealing." A pause. "And colorful"

"I don't like this, Martha," his father voiced in.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" she asked the two most important men in her lives with disappointment.

"No!" they both exclaimed.

"He looks great, sweetheart." Jonathan assured her.

"I can work with the outfit, mom," added Clark.

Jonathan tried again. "What I meant was this… Clark… using his powers for everyone to see"

His son interrupts. "Dad, it's my choice." Clark and Jonathan have gone over this for hours on end, but Clark had made his decision, and he was going to stand by it. "I feel cooped up when I know I can help. This…" gesturing to his outfit. "Is a way for me to do that?"

"And what if somebody recognizes you?" Jonathan continued to argue.

"It's a risk I have to take"

"Clark's right, Jonathan"

"I know he's right, Martha, I'm just worried"

"I know." Martha hugs him, and Clark soon follows.

"Everything's gonna be okay, dad." Once he let them go, he looked at his mom. "You think Lois will like this?"

Jonathan and Martha laughs at his insecurity.

**To be continued…**


	5. Entity

**Disclaimer**: I Own Nothing

**Author's Notes**: I want to thank Marcy (VisionGirl) for giving me some fantastic ideas to incorporate in RISE. And thanks for everyone else that took the time to read this little story of mine. I wholeheartedly appreciate it. So without further ado…

**Chapter 5 – Entity**

_Clark's Apartment_

"Must I do this?" Lois whined as Clark led her to the middle of the room, completely blindfolded. It took Clark a few weeks, but he finally found the perfect place. Don't get him wrong though, he loved living under the same roof as Lois, but he couldn't reach that same sentiment with her couch.

Excited, Clark removed the blindfold.

"Tada!" he exclaimed. Clark moved in front of her, gesturing to his new place. "What do you think?"

Squinting her eyes a couple times so she could adjust to the light, Lois looked around the apartment, pacing.

Swinging his arms, Clark anxiously waits for her reaction. "Well…" Clark kept waiting.

"I need a second," she tells him. Clark rolls his eyes. One one-thousand. "It's okay," she nods finishing assessing the place after what seemed like less than a second.

Clark crossed his arms and burrowed his brow. "That's it?" That can't be all.

Lois continued to nod, making her way to his kitchen. She turned the faucet handle clockwise, nothing but dirt water came out. She chuckled. "A paint job, a few throw pillows and uh… subscription to Home Depot, I foresee potential," she quipped.

Clark shook his head to prevent his smile from showing, but it was useless.

"It looks perfect for you." Clark knew she was telling the truth. It's hard to believe she could be lying when he could see the sincerity so clear in her eyes.

"Thanks," he replied proudly.

They've been partners for over a month now at the Daily Planet. When he and Lois found evidence that Carmine Falcone was extending his business from Gotham to Metropolis, it was enough for the Metropolis Police Department to get a search warrant and share Jurisdiction with Gotham PD.

Then, rumor's showed a vigilante dressed like a bat assisted the police to bring Falcone behind bars, so that and the very solid evidence of Lois and Clark's investigation, it easily eliminated any possibility of Falcone ever getting out of prison… or the Asylum for which he is now a permanent resident.

They did so well on the investigation that Perry noted how well they worked together, and before either really knew it, he officially made them partners. Clark was ecstatic over it, and he felt Lois was too, but she did better hiding it.

"So when do you think you're moving in?"

Clark had thought about this. There was a lot of work to be done in the new apartment, and he didn't want to raise suspicion by super speeding through it too quickly. Besides, one of the other explanations why he kept it as is was so he could ask Lois to help him.

He wanted her to be as much a part of this as he was. She may not know it, but he wanted to share everything with her, even his apartment. Clark wants to show her that she's always welcomed.

"I'm thinking of asking Chief for a week off so I can get settled in"

"Makes sense," she nodded. Lois thought a moment. "Do you need help?"

Clark's eyes shined. "Are you offering?"

Lois laughs. "Yeah, right! You've seen me in the kitchen Smallville… there's no difference between a hammer and a spatula when it comes to me."

He laughed back at her, a regular occurrence whenever he's with her, but then his mind got a little confused. "Then why did you offer?"

"A friend of mind is visiting this weekend. He's pretty handy with a utility belt…" Lois nearly chuckled at the description; she hadn't meant it to come out that obvious. Thank goodness it was only she that understood the meaning behind the words.

For Clark, it translated different.

Friend. Weekend. He. Clark wasn't liking it already.

"Is this the same guy you've been seeing every weekend?" Clark just had to ask the question. It's been bugging him for weeks. Every other weekend, she was either on the phone with her mysterious male friend or she was off visiting him.

He was tempted to spy, but knew nothing good would come from it.

"Yup," she answered non-chalantly.

Does she not know how uncomfortable this makes him? "You know, you never did mention his name?"

"You never asked"

"Now you're stalling"

"You never asked," she pointed out to him further.

Clark slumped; he hated it when she did that. She always got away with it. "Fine, then what's his name?" Please don't let it be Bruce Wayne, please don't let it be.

"I'm sure you already know"

Damn. "It's Bruce Wayne, isn't it?"

Lois expressed a low chuckle and Clark wasn't sure if she was mocking him or just pulling his strings.

"What do you have against him?"

Clark shrugged. He could think of a couple. "I don't," he lied.

"You're such a liar," she mused.

"It's what happens when you know me so well"

"I wouldn't say that"

"Oh yeah, so there's actually something you don't know about me?" Clark replied playfully, making sure to note to himself that his Kryptonian Heritage be not used against her. "Do you love him?" he regretfully asked.

Lois gave him a sideways glance. "Listening to office gossip, I see." She gave him a moment and then smiled. "Yes, I do love him"

Clark wanted to immediately fly out of there as soon as the words left her lips. He didn't want to hear any of this, and he didn't want to hear it from her. He thought maybe…

"But as a friend," she finished just as Clark was about to make an excuse to leave. He mentally kicked himself for thinking so selfishly. He was actually going to excuse himself from his own apartment.

"A friend?" Clark hoped he heard her right.

Lois smirked, noticing him shift from discomfort to relief.

She walked slowly towards the windowsill, wiping it down before sitting herself on it. Then she searched through her memory banks. "I met Bruce while I was doing some free-lance work in Russia a few years ago," she began to explain.

Clark followed too, and sat down opposite her and waited for her to continue.

"I helped him, he helped me. At first, it was a perfectly legitimate business arrangement." She paused. "Turns out we make pretty good friends"

"I always thought…"

"It wouldn't be fair to him," she admitted as she cut him off.

Clark didn't understand. "What wouldn't be fair to him?"

Lois contemplated answering the question truthfully. "I've always had someone else in mind."

But it didn't completely register to Clark who she was referring to. "Oh," he responded sadly.

Lois shook her head, even though her partner had brilliance, he can also be incredibly dense sometimes. She was tempted to reach out to him with her hands but thought better of it.

"He's pretty cool," she began detailing. Clark can only groan. Lois kept going. "He's this very intelligent mild-mannered guy. I'm falling pretty hard for him," she says honestly.

"Great," Clark replies unenthusiastically. This was far worst than thinking she and Bruce were together.

"And he has this charm, this kindness that's a bit overwhelming," she continued softly. "I look at him but sometimes I can't because I know I'd lose myself in his baby-blue eyes if I did," she says a bit teasingly in the end.

Lois saw the change in him and immediately knew that he was finally catching on, but that didn't stop her from putting her heart out there.

"Anyway," Lois moves off the windowsill. "I hear we have ourselves an astronaut landing on Mars in a few days." Lois had to grin at the irony.

Clark's face shot up, his eyes meeting hers and for the first time since coming back, it's as if their emotions have finally been stripped raw and exposed.

At first, Clark couldn't believe that Lois was falling for someone else. He was depressed, angry even. But then suddenly, the words she used coupled with the softness in her voice, he could swear that perhaps she was talking about him.

Now that he was looking at her, blue eyes meeting green.

He knew.

It was him.

"Lois," he tried to form a cohesive thought, but all he kept seeing himself do is kiss her. Clark opened his mouth once more, but no words escaped.

Lois understood. "It's okay; I know it's a bit sudden. I just wanted you to know." She gathered the little stuff she had, mainly her purse and began to leave.

"Wait, no!" he reached out, taking her hand before she bolted off. Don't be fooled by her non-Kryptonian lineage, she's as good as him when it came to disappearing.

Lois refused to look him back in the eye. So Clark did it for her by using his two forefingers to lift her chin slightly so he could look at her again. She was a sight he wouldn't mind waking up to every morning if she'd let him.

Some years of growing and experience and a whole month of emotional confusion led them to this moment. She made the first move; something Clark was positive was very hard for her to do. Now it was his turn.

He was so overwhelmed by the moment that he changed his mind. "Screw it!" Clark cupped her face and kissed her.

To Lois, she was more than surprised. She expected words not actions, but her partner's daring move brought out a part of her she doesn't show people often. The need. The want. The crave of his affections.

They kissed, and it didn't stop.

Neither wanted to stop.

He kisses her on her lips then to her neck, and back to her lips again while they clumsily moved about the crowded living room area. They hit tables and lamp posts, dust brooms and worn out pots. Various pieces of furniture falling made sounds like instruments that needed fine tuning.

Gasping for air, Clark breathed into her lips.

"I've wanted to kiss you for a long time." He kisses her again, making his way to the other side of her soft neck.

"What took you so long?" Lois reacted, heating up from his advances.

The two stumbled on the back wall, very close to losing control.

Nothing would've stopped him from making love to her right then and there if it not for one thing.

The truth.

Clark pulled back, surprising the both of them. While Lois calmed her breathing, Clark leaned back besides her on the wall that they were just going at it a second ago.

"I'm sorry," he says with labored breaths. Clark couldn't do it, not when she didn't even know everything about who she was getting involved with. She deserved the truth first.

"Lois I…"

Simultaneously, Lois's cell phone goes off and Clark's super hearing caught wind of a hostage situation several blocks down the street.

Lois didn't like the intrusion one bit but answered it anyway.

"Hello." She covered the receiver to prevent the other line from hearing her hard breathing; Lois was beginning to find her mind out of focus. "Yes… Jimmy… Slow down. Where are you?" Her eyes grow worried. "I'll be right there." She shut the phone and turned to Clark.

He already knew what was happening.

A hostage situation was taking place just a mile away from where they were.

"We gotta go," Lois claimed.

"I know." His mind was springing into action. There was never really a specific moment he had in mind to reveal himself, but he always knew it would happen when the situation arise. He just hadn't expected it to happen as he and Lois were finally getting somewhere.

But he had to do this.

"Lois, you have to go ahead of me." Clark didn't want to insist, but if he was going to tell her the truth about his alien heritage, he was going to tell her himself.

"What?" Lois couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Clark, you're my partner. God knows I didn't want it, but I've gotten used to it and I don't mind it all that much"

"Lois, this isn't about us. Please, I'll be right behind you"

"Clark…" Lois didn't know how to respond to that. His logic was nowhere making any sense to her, but time was running out, and Lois didn't have the time or the words to argue with him otherwise when lives are at stake.

She grudgingly left the apartment and headed straight to the scene.

Clark on the other hand flew fast to the Arctic where his Fortress of Solitude truly lay. He had discovered the stones true purpose during the debacle of the second meteor shower. In it, he has truly discovered what Jor-El really intended for him.

Flyingwith immensespeed and stealth, he stepped foot of the ice fortress like he's done many times before. He goes to the central control, and with a single insertion of a crystal into one compartment, a few seconds passed before there was a opening circling not far from him on the floor. A figure slowly lifted beneath the ground.

After his mother made the initial design of his… outfit, he had it immersed with Kryptonian technology so it can properly withstand any kind of disaster he may find himself in.

With one big solid breath, he takes it.

It was now or never.

_Back in Metropolis _

Police cars and S.W.A.T. teams are littering the area. Helicopters and ambulances arrived shortly. The people on the ground were in a state of panic while the oppressors in the building were holding dozen's of people hostage at gunpoint.

Nothing like this has happened to Metropolis so publicly in a long time and Lois cursed herself for being part of a humanity that can be capable of such evil and pain.

"Henderson!" she called for the detective's attention. "Henderson!"

He turns to her, aggravated. "Not now, Lane. We've got a situation here"

That was pretty obvious, she wanted to retort. "What do we got?"

Henderson sighed. If he was going to give out information, he might as well give it to the one most legitimate person. Last thing he needed right now is some selfish-two-bit newspaper twisting his words.

"We don't have an accurate count of hostages, but the security cam's showed multiple armed men with masks entering the scene." Henderson picks up an incoming call through his walkie-talkie. "Talk to me!" Lois notices an open man-hole that was overlooked not far away.

Henderson walks away from her, giving Lois the opportunity to duck and hide, discreetly backing away towards her target.

She sneaks in.

_Inside the Building_

Somehow, Lois manages to find her way inside with little effort. What's the use of cops nowadays if they couldn't even keep this secure.

She makes her way through the empty corridors, but before she could make it past the hallway, she was knocked out from behind, putting her in a state of unconsciousness.

_Moments Later_

Lois woke up with a throbbing headache. She was handcuffed and secured to a chair.

"Boss, she's awake." She heard a man say. He didn't sound that much older than her. Lois achingly lifted her head, the pain intensified when the criminal gripped her neck tightly. "What do you want me to do with her, boss?"

"What else? Kill her." Lois barely registered what any of them were saying. She could barely breathe, let alone think. "Throw her over the building, show them that we mean business"

Lois could almost feel their eyes smirking devilishly at her.

"It'd be my pleasure"

_Open Window_

The homicidal maniac held onto her with a sadistic smile. "It's too bad, it would've been nice playing with you," he says maniacally before licking her cheeks.

Not the ending she ever expected for herself.

He makes one more play. "Ready to die?"

But Lois didn't give him the satisfaction. "Sure I am," she could barely give out before kneeing him in the groin. The two men that joined him cocked their guns ready to fire, but if she was going to die, she'd do it with a bang, and it wouldn't be to her head.

As if by instinct, she did something worse than getting killed.

She jumped to kill herself.

That was a stupid move.

Getting knocked unconscious, tied up, threatened, choked and shot at. Diving to one's death seemed the most logical step from the most illogical perspective. But as she neared the end, she closed her eyes shut, keeping the unexpected in tact to the very end.

But there was no end.

With her eyes closed, her descent didn't feel at all like falling. Opening her eyes, she found her self held by a strong pair of arms.

A strong pair of blue arms… and a… is that a red cape?

She opened her eyes even wider, looking down at the city that seemed to get smaller and smaller. She was afraid to look into the eyes of her savior, but somehow, she found the will to do so.

And when she did…

"Hello," he smiled, turning around and flying her down. Lois didn't feel the change. "Are you all right, ma'am?"

Lois blinked. "What?"

"Are you hurt?" His voice was calm, collected, assuring.

She looked back down and saw the city getting bigger. He was taking her down. "What?" She was at a lost for words. She found no trace of anything keeping him airborne.

As they descended into the middle of the street, the crowd of people circled back, making room for the strange savior that flew out of the sky like a red and blue blur. No, he was a red and blue blur, but they just hadn't completely comprehended it yet.

"You're going to be okay," he promised.

Before he could leave, Lois pulled him back, her arms wrapped gratefully around his neck. "We'll talk about this later," she whispered to his ear. "Smallville." She kept her voice impassive, but the shock still present in her face.

Within her embrace, the Clark raised his eyebrows in surprise, and slowly let her go. The words he'd just heard her say processing into his mind.

Before he could do anything, he heard the call for help and he had to let her go. But he didn't have to, because she had done it for him.

He floated in the air effortlessly, and for the first time, she saw him from top to bottom. She was speechless, a rare first for Lois Lane. The red and blue tight suit with the "S" emblazoned across his chest confused her more than ever before.

With her mind working a mile a minute he flew up and away.

She didn't even have to blink.

_Several Hours Later (Night Time)_

Lois Lane stood atop of her balcony, immobile but alive. After hours of giving reports to the Police, and a deadline for Perry about the mysterious flying savior that rescued her, she didn't quite know how to feel.

"Lois?"

She closed her eyes at the sound of his voice in an attempt to understand the man she thought she knew, to the other that flew and rescued her and dozen's of other people a few hours ago.

Clark could feel the fast beating of her heart. He was afraid that he'd lost her, that he lost the one opportunity at happiness. Happiness with her. He hoped in his every being that he wasn't too late.

"Lois, please…"

Recalling their earlier tryst. "It explains what happened today," she says, her back still turned to him. "I was half-expecting you to fly here"

Clark breathed. "I kind of did," he replied softly, without sounding condescending or sarcastic. He had flown back to her apartment and quickly changed before heading inside.

Lois expressed nothing but a mocked laugh before turning her head to him. She eyed the bag he held in his hands and made a face.

"Is that…"

Clark looked at the possession in his hand and raised it. "Yeah," he replied, tossing it on the couch like it was nothing. It was more than nothing, he humbly held the world in that bag.

"So I assume you don't wear that often." Lois didn't know how else she was going to start this conversation.

Clark stumbled for a response. He hoped she wouldn't find out this way, but nothing ever really went according to plan. For the first time, this was one situation he wished it did. "Today was my first," he replied truthfully, but while he was mixed in his own fear, he had missed Lois's surprise reaction.

"My mom likes it though," he added, hoping to break the ice that was coldly frozen between them.

Somehow, Lois wasn't surprised, but she held her smile.

"Why didn't you tell me?" her voice was so soft, Clark was tempted to hold her.

Clark stepped closer into the balcony and he was relieved when she made no move to turn away.

"I figured the first question would be, was it the meteor shower?"

Lois eyed him confusingly. She had already figured that the meteor's were largely a part of it.

"Why would you ask that?"

He weakly smiled and took her side by the edge of her balcony. Clark stared out into the sky, searching for the right words to express… to tell her everything.

"The meteors didn't do this to me." Lois looks confused and he continued. "It's a part of me. A part of who I am"

"I don't understand…" After a moment, it dawned on her. Was it possible? "You mean…" Clark nods. "You're a…" He slowly nods once more.

"You can say it, you know. I've made peace with it a long time ago." When she didn't say anything, Clark decided to say it for her. "I'm an alien, Lois." He exhaled, finally relaxing.

Lois's mouth was left agape.

The man she's falling in love with is an alien. Figures. No other man could hold her interest that it had to take an alien to literally sweep her off her feet.

"You're an alien?" Stupid question repeated, but as a reporter, having it confirmed twice wasn't a bad thing.

"Yes." Clark understood that she needed time to process everything; he had no intention of rushing her.

"So all this time…"

"I've been keeping it from everyone, yes." He easily finished for her. Years of secrecy and hiding his powers, he knew the signs all too well.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" She was sincere in her question.

"I've been hiding it for a long time, Lois," he revealed to her honestly. "I felt that as long as nobody got hurt, it was okay." When Lois didn't say anything. "Are you mad?" he asks in a low voice, almost afraid to hear her answer.

"I'm not mad," she says.

Clark didn't believe her though, he's had too much experience in this to think otherwise.

"Are you angry?"

Lois looks at him, her eyes showing annoyance. "That's the same as mad"

Clark shrugged. "Are you disappointed?" he rephrased. There had to be something.

Her face changed and she revealed a smile. "You saved my life today." She reminded him. "Save a lot of other people as well. You didn't have to, but you took a chance and showed yourself. As hard as it is for you to believe, I'm very proud of you"

Clark stood upward, not quite believing what she was saying. After years of worrying, her simple words lifted all the years he had about being exposed.

"You're proud of me?"

They both seem to have a habit at repeating each other's words.

Regardless of his invulnerability, she smiled that smile that made him weak in the knees. He reached out and took her hand with is own.

"Will you fly with me?"

Lois looks at him, startled but unafraid. She wasn't expecting that.

"Are you serious?" she asks skeptically. He nods, he was being serious. "You can do that?" She gestured outwardly with her hands. "Just _fly_ whenever you want to?

Clark couldn't help but chuckle about the way she described it. "Never that so dramatically," he teased, which she retaliated with a playful hit on his shoulder, like she's done so many times before back when they were just teenagers.

It all seemed like a lifetime ago.

He took her hands with both his own once more and pulled her in. Embracing her with gentle ease. Lois was surprised at how easily she let him take her in with no questions asked but one.

"What about your…"

Clark cut her off with a kiss. "Not tonight," he answered in regards to his suit. He wanted this experience with Lois for himself.

"I won't let you go," he promised.

Lois believed him.

"You do that and I'm leaving you on my sofa," she threatened teasingly.

Clark grinned. "Was there ever an alternate?"

Lois grinned in return. That was a question that has yet to be answered, but she had a feeling they'll have all the time in the world to find it. And at that very moment, he flew her away. Where to was only the beginning.

**To be continued…**


	6. Disclosure

**Disclaimer**: I Own Nothing

**Author's Notes**: You all rock! Thanks so much for reviewing this story of mine. I'm glad many of you echo my feelings in regards to Rachel Dawes, she felt oddly out-of-place in Batman Begins.

Introducing Superman was a… decision not easily made. LOL! I contemplated that, but since I've gone in close continuity for BB, I should try to do the same for Superman's own mythology. And it made me feel good for Lois to know right away who her savior was. She's already in love with Clark Kent, there was no reason to bring the triangle-made-for-two. Thanks again.

**Chapter 6 – Disclosure**

_Fortress of Solitude, Arctic_

Clark guided her steadily across the sky. Scenery after scenery, Lois was in a state of continuous awe. He held her close by, as she watched the world unfold before her eyes like she's never had before.

It was intoxicating.

Exhilarating.

Familiar, even. She's dreamed about this, but never quite so real and vivid.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, shivering slightly from the sudden change in temperature.

Clark held her firmly, stopping to float high up in the air.

"Here." He maneuvered the red cape he kept with him in case Lois had needed to stay warm. He'd almost forgotten that his body can withstand extreme heat and cold, but not to normal humans.

"Thanks," she says appreciatively before they began to fly again.

"So where are you taking me," she asked once more.

"It's a surprise," he says with a glint in his eyes.

Lois knew it would be.

A few minutes later, they finally arrived at their destination. Great view. Impeccable timing. Excellent service. No jetlag. Northwest Airlines has nothing on him.

"You're the first person I've ever brought here," he tells her truthfully just before they land. "Well, except Chloe, but _that_ was completely an accident." Clark reluctantly let Lois leave his arms even though he didn't want to. After today, everything could be different tomorrow.

And for the first time, he wasn't afraid.

Lois raised her eyebrows, amused a bit. "Chloe knows." It made sense to her that her cousin knew. If anyone knew this part of Clark Kent, it was her cousin.

"She knows about me," he nods. "And she knows that this place exists, but I haven't exactly shown it to her myself."

She continued to look at the structure with wonder, the sight before unlike anything she's ever seen, and she's seen a lot. It was absolutely extraordinary.

"You lost me"

Clark chuckled, and then immediately thought back. "Summer… 2005," he says simply.

Lois looked at him and she instantly knew, but wanted to be sure nonetheless. "The meteor showers?"

Clark nodded but didn't explain further because he wanted to give her the tour first. He was so excited.

As he led her further inside the massive fortress, they reach a vast room that held two statues holding what seemed to be a globe.

"Who are they?" Lois is completely awestruck. The statues were like almost half the size of the Statue of Liberty.

Clark looked up to where she was staring and smiled. "They're my biological parents," he revealed. "And that's Krypton, where I was born." He pointed to the globe they both held high above their heads.

Lois is shocked when a sudden memory comes to mind.

"Jor and Lara?" she guessed.

"Jor-El," he corrected, equally surprised that she knew. "How did you…"

"You dream about them," she admits cutting him off before he finished his question. "The first time you said their names was the night I offered you to stay with me," she says, further elaborating the details. "You've done it a few more times in your sleep after that"

"Why didn't you say anything?" Clark wasn't upset, just curious.

Lois shrugged and moved toward the statues, feeling the smooth layers beneath her touch. Even in their immortalized states, they made her feel welcomed.

"It seemed personal. I didn't want to pry"

"Lois?" Clark pretends to be shock. "Not wanting to pry?" There was playfulness in his eyes. "I find that very hard to believe"

Lois smacks him lightly on the arm, before joining him in his sea of smiles.

And at that moment, in the presence of his Kryptonian parent's, Clark told her everything.

From memories as a child, to his emerging abilities in high school. He shared his hopes, his dreams and his fears with her. He illustrated as best he could about everything that's happened to him since the first meteor shower. Krypton. His parents. The three stones of power.

He didn't hold back.

He didn't want to hold back.

Lois remained silent for the whole thing, she knew how important this was to him and she wouldn't dare take that from him. She listened to every detail; saw every emotion that came with each word he expressed, each word he shared. The mixture of sadness, hope and happiness in his eyes and voice was overwhelming, but not completely alien to her.

As if years of solitude was finally lifted.

And when he was done, "Well…" he breathed out, feeling relaxed yet a bit nervous.

Lois was open-mouthed, not a sound released. She was literally speechless.

"Lois?" Maybe it was too much at once, he worried.

"That was…" she uttered without much completion.

"A lot, I know." Clark fastly felt like a fool. He shouldn't expect anyone, even Lois, to be okay with everything he just shared with her. It was too much to take in all at once.

But she proved him otherwise by finishing what she wanted to say with a blazing kiss. It began as strong and passionate, but naturally became soft and warm. He was losing himself in her again.

"I was afraid I scared you," he let go only a little and looked at her in her beautiful green eyes. Somehow, she always had the ability of making him reveal his emotions bear in front of her.

Lois shook her head, disagreeing..

"You don't scare me, Smallville." She brushed a hand softly through his hair. Then her smile turned into a grin. "Well, unless you we're wearing plaid." Clark makes a face, but Lois quickly corrected herself. "Which… I've grown rather used to," she admits.

Clark smiled, kissing her to show her everything that he was feeling.

And it grew intense.

"Maybe we should… do… this… somewhere else." Lois suggested as she and Clark were being consumed by each other.

"What do you mean?"

Lois chuckles and stares upward at the two statues hovering above them.

Clark looked up and became a bit embarrassed. "I see your point," he agreed, chuckling himself.

"This place wouldn't happen to have a bedroom, would it?" She wondered truthfully with other intentions.

Clark's eyes glistened with desire and hesitation. "Are you sure?" He didn't want to push her, and he didn't want to be overconfident.

"Are you?" She returned, almost challenging him.

"With you…" He kisses her, proving his answer and she returned it without question. They make their way out of one room and into several others until they finally made their way to the bedroom, where you can almost mistake it for a honeymoon suite.

Kryptonians don't hold back.

_The Following Morning_

Crystalline structures made from solid ice. Statues. Flying. Krypton. The feeling of flesh against flesh that went on for hours. It all felt like a dream.

Lois drew awake, startling herself when she looked at her surroundings. It wasn't a dream. Yesterday. Last night. It was all real.

She exhaled.

Thank God.

"Clark," she spoke out softly as if she feared that any loud noise would bring the fortress crumbling down before her. She knew it was silly since they made more than a little noise last night, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Lois continued too look around from where she sat, covering herself with the soft comforter she believed has to be alien too because it was so comfortable, and a she saw no one.

She was about to get out of bed when she noticed a nicely folded nightgown placed at the end. When Lois looked down and saw her fluffy bunny slippers, she had to laugh out loud at his thoughtfulness. She could definitely get used to this.

Just as she was going to reach for the gown, Clark appeared.

"Morning," he says with a big smile, walking in with a breakfast tray. The warm aroma permeating towards her sense.

"Mmmm… you really go all out," she grinned and smiled.

"You make it easy," he replied lovingly before kissing her. He then set the tray besides her. Clark reached for a strawberry and served it right at the tip of her mouth. Lois quickly obliged.

"Wow," she says her mouth slightly full.

Clark smiled, he was so happy.

"Italy harvested it great this time of year"

Lois almost choked. "What?" Then smiled that awestruck smile she's been having for the last two days. "You went to Italy." She knew he had but she was still shocked and flattered.

"And Florida, France and umm…" Clark loved every minute of this. "I made a quick stop to England for the bagels"

Lois wasn't annoyed when she rolled her eyes, she was clearly amused and again, very flattered at his all out gesture to make her comfortable and cared for.

"Okay, now I'm officially impressed"

"You mean my flying didn't do that?" he feigned disappointment.

"Well, you know, it lost its appeal after a while," she replied playfully.

God, he loves her.

"I love you," he says immediately after he thought it.

Lois has been surprised by a lot of things lately, but she wasn't expecting that. At least, not that soon.

Clark didn't regret saying it though, but perhaps he should've waited. At least when everything was settled down.

"You love me?" Lois could hit herself right now for asking such a ridiculous question.

To be honest though, love was a term that neither has ever said to one another. Respect. Appreciation. Devotion. All those things can imply as an extension of love, but they've never ever… _ever_ used the word to each other before.

"I love you," Clark repeated. He really should stop saying it, but he couldn't help it. It's becoming instinctual. Reactionary. Real.

And after what they shared last night and well into the very early hours of the morning. It's the truth.

"I don't really know when it all started to change… but I know it's real." His eyes fell from hers. "Is it for you?" he barely asks in a quite whisper.

"Clark"

He kept his eyes away from her and remained silent, and Lois had to smile at how innocent he suddenly was.

"I love you too," she finally admitted.

Feeling incredibly insecure, he didn't believe her. "You're just saying it to make me feel better"

She raised her eyebrows, amused. Have the last couple of days not been clear enough on her part?

"Really?"

"Aren't you?" he says with a bit of tension. Lois on the other hand wasn't affected by the way he reacted. As if she knew this was coming.

Lois moved the tray on the bed further aside to give her room in front of Clark. "I love you," she tries again, kissing him on his lips. "I." Kiss. "Love." Kiss. "You." Clark's mind is completely vulnerable against her advances and completely succumbed himself to her kisses.

If this was how she was going to prove to him that she loved him, he certainly will not stop her.

_Reaching the Afternoon_

After another lovemaking session, Lois and Clark walked around the fortress. Clark in nothing but sweat pants and Lois with one of his red-checkered plaid shirts.

"What do you have planned when we get back to Metropolis?" Lois curiously asked. Clark hadn't really thought about it all that much. He's been playing it by ear.

"What do you mean?"

"You work in one of the most media exposed environments. They'll be people who wants answers, you're gonna have to find a way to give it to them"

Clark frowned. He's been planning this for practically a year and he hasn't even thought that far ahead yet.

"I'm not here to scare anyone"

Lois looks at him sympathetically. "I know, but they don't. The media is going to spin this any way they can. They'll dub you either a savior or a hoax. Which, actually brings to mind… why no mask?"

"I thought if they see my face, they wouldn't think twice about me living a whole entirely different life, and feel that I'm not hiding anything. I can't risk the people I care about being hurt, Lois"

"I bet it's one of the reasons why you didn't tell me before my dive out the fiftieth floor," she mused.

Clark smiled then frowned once again. "Bottom line, you knew right away. It won't take long till everyone else finds out"

"That's not true"

"What do you mean?" he asks skeptically."It's pretty much inevitable"

"We can still salvage this." Lois remained optimistic.

"What do you have in mind?"

"As soon as we get back, Chief is going to be riding on us to get the exclusive on you're alter ego. I do the interview and share enough so that people won't freak out. Look, I admit," she tries to assure him. "When I first saw you, I had to do a double take."

"You did?"

Lois nods. "But I know you. We lived together long before anything happened between us. For me, it wasn't hard to put two and two together"

"But we're talking about hiding from people on a global scale"

"I never said it was going to be easy. Clark, you flew out of the sky sofast and indestructible wearing the colors of our countries' land. People will notice the costume and your deeds, not just the man," she reminded him.

"How can you be so sure?" Clark is always amazed at how easily she can put things into perspective.

"Let's just say I've had some experience in the whole dual identity department," she replied vaguely.

Clark looks on curiously. "Well"

"Well what?"

"Are you going tell me about this _experience_?"

She nods. "Sure… but it's not my 'thing' to share, so until I get the go ahead, you're going to have to put some faith in me." Mental note: Talk to Bruce, she tells herself.

"I _have_ faith in you," he assured, still wondering who she was talking about.

_Elevator, Daily Planet (2 Hours Later)_

Lois and Clark were the only two occupying the compartment. Lois notices Clark shaking a bit and held his hand, reassuring him that he isn't alone.

"Nervous?" She already knew the answer, but it didn't hurt to ask.

He breathed. "A little bit," he smiled, their hands still intertwined. The elevator stops and rings at the intended floor.

"Ready?" Lois asks.

"As I'll ever be," he adjusted his tie.

The door opens and Lois and Clark pull their hands apart.

It's now or never.

**To be Continued…**


	7. Gossip

**Disclaimer**: I Own Nothing

**Author's Notes**: Thank you everybody. It means a lot that you're all taking the time to read and give feedback on this. So happy you're enjoying it. Ever since a certain three-part series I did several months ago, I seem to have a hard habit getting away from angst, so then I wrote this. Glad you liked it. And those who didn't… oh well.

_kerenziv_ – Thanks. Btw, Clark did know that Lois worked at the Planet before his interview, but since he was traveling the world, he didn't know that Lois now worked at the Planet, but Jonathan and Martha have known practically since she started. Bruce is an important character to me. He's his own entity and I want to utilize him appropriately and not always for the sake of plot points, I'm glad you liked him here.

**Chapter 7 - Gossip**

_The Following Morning_

"What do we got, Jimmy?" Lois asks as she and Clark made their way to their desks.

Jimmy hands both reporters their morning coffee. "The calls have been coming nonstop. Every news team on the globe wants to know how you got the exclusive with Superman"

"Superman?" Clark mouthed to Lois. He knew she wrote the article, but calling him 'Superman.'

Lois shrugged. "What's wrong with it?" She didn't know what the big deal was. "He's strong and he flies. He's the Nietzschean fantasy ideal all wrapped up in a red cape. And the 'S,' it's begging to be called…"

"Okay, Lois, I got it," he finished, a bit embarrassed by her accolades.

Lois grinned widely as Clark continued to blush. Jimmy on the other hand, noticed a different kind of change.

"Are you guys all right?" Jimmy asks.

"What do you mean?" Clark wonders, standing a bit awkwardly.

"Everything's fine, Jimmy," Lois clarified.

Jimmy doesn't believe them. Something is definitely different. "Miss Lane, are you glowing?" he momentarily forgot to refer to her by her first name as he saw the happiness on her face.

Clark chuckles and Lois hits him lightly on the arm.

"I am not!" she denied.

"What's going on here?" Perry interrupts loudly. "This is a newsroom NOT happy hour." Perry turns to Lois and is suspicious. "What's wrong with you?"

Lois furrowed her brows. "What?"

Perry eyes her intently and points to her face. "You've got a glow"

In the back, Clark has an even bigger smile while Lois fights to roll her eyes.

"I'm gonna go see if I can find myself some trouble," Lois says monotonously, turning to leave. Clark catches up to her and he's still grinning.

"I love you," Clark says quietly all the while trying to look discreet. He wasn't looking so good; he's dying to touch her again.

Lois crossed her arms. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Lois makes her way into the elevator with Clark right by her side.

"Every second of it"

"You sure you fight for truth, justice and the American way?" Lois asks him playfully.

The elevator door closes, and they're alone.

"I sure do," he responds, equally playful. Clark turned to her, and pulled her in for a long deep kiss. With arms wrapped around each other, "I don't know if I can do this?" Clark says, kissing her still.

Lois tilts her head to breathe, Clark's lips making its way to her neck. She sighs approvingly. "We can… we just… we have to lay low for a while"

Clark sighs, his head falling backwards. "It feels too long"

Lois smiles. "We've only been together for a couple of days." She brushed her hand through his hair like she did with him before. "I don't want to rush into this"

Clark is unconvinced, the smirk on his face showed evidence of that. "We didn't rush, Lois. We cheated to the finish line."

Lois laughs at the truth of his words. "We might've cut a few turns." She wasn't about to let him have the last word.

Lois and Clark jumped apart as soon as the elevator buzzed, the lovers occupying their own corner. They walked out of the elevator and through the crowd just the same way they walked in… side-by-side.

_Streets of Metropolis_

"So, you haven't told me yet why we're here"

"You're right." Lois smirks. "I haven't." She spots who she's looking for. "There he is." She points out to his direction and waves. "Bruce!"

Clark is surprised. Since arriving in Metropolis, Lois hasn't formally or informally introduced them to one another. Looking at him now, he begins to wonder what Lois saw in some farm boy compared to this billionaire. He could even give Lex Luthor a run for his money.

"That's Bruce?"

"Come on." She takes a hold of his hand and tugs. "It's about time you two meet. You've got a lot in common," she winked.

Clark sighed. "I doubt it," he responded low enough that Lois didn't hear him.

Clark watched as Lois hugged Bruce Wayne. They both smiled brightly. Clark knew he was overreacting. Lois loved him as much as he loved her. He would never question that, but he can't help feel somewhat inferior to this friend of hers. Bruce probably knew more about her than he did, and that certainly doesn't help how he feels.

"So you're Clark Kent?" Bruce shakes his hand.

"That's me." Clark forced a smile.

"I've wanted to thank you for helping Gotham PD with the Falcone case, I apologize it took this long for me to do so"

What would he care about a Mob boss being put to jail? A guy like Bruce Wayne didn't look needy.

"Lois did most of the investigating," Clark explained, albeit truthfully. "I just helped to connect the dots"

"Regardless, thank you anyway"

"In that case, you're welcome." Clark still didn't know what to make of him, or if he had some kind of agenda. Bruce is very rich and powerful, and with all his experience with that kind of people, Clark always knew that there's always some kind of catch.

Lois watched the interaction with an investigators eye. She hadn't meant to, but she could feel that Clark was feeling out-of-place around Bruce.

"Why don't we get out of here and get some lunch?" Lois recommended, getting both men's attention.

"I have a brief meeting with a client." Bruce looks at his gold-silver Swiss watch. "Same place?"

Lois nods. "Sounds good." She looks at Clark as Bruce walked away. "There's this Italian restaurant called Vittorio's a few blocks from here. The food is absolutely fantastic. We'll meet him there in half an hour." She noticed him being very quiet. "Clark, what's wrong?"

Clark shrugged it off. "It's nothing," he says but Lois wasn't buying it.

They start walking, taking their time to get to their destination.

"Bruce is my friend." Lois wanted to assure him whom her heart will always belong to. "Contrary to what everyone else claims, he's a good man with a good heart"

"I'm not judging"

"But you're thinking it"

Lois knows how his mind works, and she wasn't about to let him get away with it.

"I'm not"

"Why don't you just ask me what you really want to know?" Lois insisted, she had nothing to hide from him.

There was a pause when guilt suddenly enveloped throughout Clark's face.

"We're you two ever together?"

Lois saw this coming, but she didn't realize how much it meant to him till now.

"Yes"

Clark wasn't entirely sure what to feel. He didn't expect her to say yes, but at the same time, he did. Clark always knew he thought about her. When he'd walk along market places or tourist spots, he's often imagined what Lois would say or do if she had been in his position. And he never truly thought about her so intimately until returning to Metropolis and seeing her for the first time at the Daily Planet.

She took his breath away.

"Oh." It was the only word he could muster the courage to say.

Lois saw the signs. He was withdrawing. Being quiet and keeping his feelings to himself.

"Is that all?"

"Let's just get this over with," he says his pace quickening.

Lois sighs. They've only been together barely 48 hours and already there was enough drama to make it on Dr. Phil.

_Half an hour later…_

A favorite in Metropolis for over 35 years, Vittorio's serves wonderful traditional Italian food, as well as great steaks, chops and seafood.

Lois and Clark walk into the restaurant, with Clark giving her the silent treatment. She couldn't believe how difficult he was taking this. She was never in love with Bruce, and she was pretty sure Bruce felt the same way, so why was Clark having such a hard time with this?

As if on cue, Bruce appeared.

"Bruce, you're here early?"

"Meeting got sidetracked and I was able to sneak out back," he joked, though there was some truth to the claim. Bruce looks over to Clark. "You guys ready to sit, I've got a table ready?"

Lois nods while Clark closely followed.

Once lunch was over, Clark excused himself from the table.

Bruce leaned in. "He doesn't like me, does he?"

"What gave it away?"

"Do you mind if I…"

Lois quickly caught on. "By all means," she gestured.

Bruce stands up from the table and walks out to find Clark outside.

_Outside_

"Great city, isn't it?" Bruce asked, as he walks up to Clark staring out into the bustling crowd.

Clark remained silent.

"You know, nothing is going on between us. There really hasn't ever"

"I've been told otherwise," he finally spoke out.

"Just because we spent one night together doesn't make us lovers"

Hearing Bruce say the word 'lovers' made Clark selfishly feel like striking down a wall.

"So I'm jealous, is that what you wanted to hear?" Clark admits shamefully.

"No," Bruce replied truthfully. "Did she ever tell you how we met?"

"She said in Russia"

"Is that all?"

"Yeah"

Bruce took a deep breath and explained. After he was finished, Clark looks at him surprisingly.

"She knew who I was, but she never held it against me. I probably would have been persecuted in that country if not for her."

"What's your point?"

Bruce smiled. "You may envy me for having been with Lois first." He pauses. "But I envy you for having her forever." Then he walks back inside, leaving Clark to his thoughts.

_Inside the restaurant_

"Okay, that took a long time. What were you two doing?"

"Exchanging notes," Clark showed up suddenly, giving Lois a quick kiss on the cheek before taking a seat back down.

Bruce chuckled and Lois could almost pass for horrified.

"You did not!"

Bruce raised his glass towards the two of them. "I plead the fifth"

Clark lifts his glass and taps it. Lois shook her head. Two against one. That hardly seems right. She's going to have to drag Clark away shortly to get the 411 on what exactly was exchanged between them.

The next hour or so was spent with the three catching up and getting to know each other.

**To be continued…**


	8. Crash

**Chapter 8 – Crash**

_A Month Later_

Clark walked out of the bathroom holding his suit in one hand and a bar of soap in the other. "So I was thinking…" the blemish just wouldn't go away.

"Hmm," Lois says completely distracted. She was in front of her computer screen, typing up her latest article on Superman and his successful rescue of a power plant that nearly exploded less than six hours ago.

Still trying to scrub it off, Clark continues. "I was thinking we could visit my parents today." He and Lois have been together for a month now and they've kept it relatively low key. Not even their co-workers knew they were together but Lois and Clark knew better that people suspected.

It is a newsroom after all.

In the meantime, Clark wanted to bring Lois back to the farm so they could tell his parents in person that things were getting serious between them.

"Hmm-mm…" typing more lines before she reached the end.

Clark finally gives up. "Lois, this mess won't go away," he complained.

"Use another one." She clicks _send_. Done.

"There must be something in those chemicals that no detergent, bleach or otherwise, could remove." Clark motioned to the outfit before throwing it on the ground.

Lois twirled her chair and smiled at him.

"You're cute when you're flustered"

Clark huffed while giving her a grin. He picked up his outfit and a thought comes to mind. _Maybe his mom would know how to fix it_.

_Later in the Afternoon_

Lois came home and noticed there were bags packed. Clark exited their bedroom wearing his favorite buttoned up red plaid shirt, which actually is one of her favorites too.

"Uhhhh…" Lois begins confusingly. "Are we going somewhere?"

Clark looks at her. "We're going to Smallville," he says, picking up their bags.

Lois raised her eyebrows, and shook her head. Clark glared at her, his voice going deep. "To visit my parents," he sharply reminded her.

Lois's eyes go wide.

"We are!" She had no idea.

"Yes!" he confirmed. "I asked you this morning"

"You did?" But she didn't remember.

He sighed. "I'm tired of hiding, Lois. I want to tell my parents about us," he says with so much love. There's just no way Lois could refuse him.

"We're not hiding." Clark rolled his eyes; his girlfriend can be so stubborn.

"Okay, so maybe I like the fact that I have you all to myself. Sue me"

_Smallville, Kansas_

Lois and Clark are driving a few miles from the Kent Farm. Lois has been quiet throughout the entire drive, and Clark tried to figure out why.

"Is there something wrong?" he asks, his head moving back and forth from the road.

Lois turns to him. "Huh?" She's been lost in thought since they left Metropolis.

"You've been quiet, Lois. It's unnatural"

She lightly punches him on the arm. "I can be quiet"

"Of course," he agreed. Then he smirked, "When you're asleep"

"You're gonna spend the rest of this weekend alone on the couch, mister"

"I'm serious, Lois. You've been out of it. Do you really not want to tell my parents about us?"

"It's not about that," she assured, combing her fingers through his hair.

"Then what?" Clark was becoming extremely confused. He looks at her. "It's like your mind has been somewhere else all day"

"Clark," she whispered. She looks at the road and her eyes go wide. "CLARK!" she screamed.

He looked back onto the road but it was too late. A semi-truck swerved into their lane and smashed it off the road, flipping their SUV over and into the ditch.

Clark, hanging upside down but physically unharmed, called for Lois.

"Lois. Lois are you all right? Lois?" He turns his head and saw she wasn't responding to his calls. "Lois, baby, talk to me!" He pushed the tightened pieces apart to give them room. "LOIS!" Clark begins to panic.

He's no help to her like this.

Clark focused his strength to tear open his driver's side door so he could get out. "It's okay, honey, I'm here, I'm gonna get you out." There is still no response.

Clark speeded around the vehicle and tore open her passenger door. He cupped her face with his hand.

"Lois," he says, his voice filled with hysteria. "Please, say something." He carefully lifted her out unconscious body out of the wreckage. Her eyes begin to flutter open.

"Lois!" Clark says relieved. "Wake-up, honey. It's me"

"Cl…ark" she tries to speak softly.

"I'm here." He kisser her lips and then her forehead, where a large gash dripped blood by her temple. "Everything is gonna be okay."

Clark felt his whole world falling.

And then he heard another voice. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Clark looked up and saw the truck driver wedged into his seat, the windshield completely destroyed. He looked down on Lois's battered body.

"I'm not leaving you," he whispers to her selfishly, cradling her in his arms.

"Go," she says faintly.

"No"

"Go…" she forced herself to say.

Tears streamed down Clark's face. He didn't want to let her go. Just this once, he didn't want to leave her side, but with one more 'Go' from her, he couldn't refuse.

He gently laid her head on the ground and spun into his alter-ego.

Superman.

In a matter of seconds, he saves the second victim, his wounds were minimal.

Looking to where he left Lois, he felt something wrong. He super speeds back to her side and x-rayed her. He got frightened when he found her pulse and heart rate weakening.

Superman removed his cape and wrapped it around her, holding her carefully before flying them up into the sky.

"It's gonna be okay, I'm not going to lose you"

He needed to get her help.

_Smallville General_

"Help her, please." Superman entered the E.R. holding Lois in his arms, his voice pleading. She wasn't getting any better. "I can't help her"

The check-in clerk ordered a stretcher in where Superman reluctantly let's her go.

"Please, save her," he says once more, defeated.

"We'll do everything we can, Superman," the on-call surgeon says.

_Save her._

**To be continued…**


	9. Vestibule

**Author's Notes**: Thanks for keeping up with these, everyone. Greatly appreciated. I always welcome reviews, good or bad, criticism or not, it's all good either way.

**Chapter 9 - Vestibule**

Darkness came and the walls closed in. Clark couldn't breathe. Within the confines of his troubled mind, he went over every moment. Every word. Every action. Any detail that would help him find out what went wrong.

All he did was drive.

For a small moment he looked away, but it was only a moment.

Regardless of how fast his superhuman reflexes can be, he wasn't prepared for what happened and now she could die because of it.

No, he couldn't think that.

He should've just dropped the matter. Continued on. Be patient that she would tell him what has been bothering her so. Why did he have to push her? Why didn't he hear the danger like he had so many others?

Superman has saved bridges and buildings from collapse. Protected thousands of people from natural disasters. Superman helped prevent crime from falling deeper into the hands of criminals all over the world.

Superman could do all this _but _he couldn't save turn the wheel fast enough to get away from harm.

What kind of superhero is reckless like that?

Clark looked back towards the double door entrance of the operating room. No doctor has yet told him of her condition, but they didn't have to.

He heard them all.

A part of him wishes he hadn't.

"…_Blood pressure dropping"_

"_We've got internal bleeding, somebody get me more A positive"_

"_She's going into cardiac arrest… Everybody clear? One. Two. Three. Clear!"_

Clark shut them out. He shut them all out. He can't take it anymore.

"Sweetheart"

He spun around to find his parents behind him, their hands holding one another for support. What he should be doing by Lois's side.

"I… I didn't see it, mom." Clark's eyes glisten with heavy tears. "I… didn't see it," he cried as Jonathan and Martha held him together.

_Two Hours Later_

The Kent's stayed together until the doctor finally came out.

"Are you family members?"

Martha shook her head. "No, but she's very close to our family"

"How is she doctor?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not authorized to reveal details of her condition if you're not…"

"I'm her boyfriend," Clark interrupted, getting up from his seat and looking the doctor straight in the eye. Martha and Jonathan hid their surprised and waited for the doctor's response.

"Sir"

"Please! We're the only family in the area. We're friends with Superman, he brought her in. Please tell us if she's going to be okay," Clark pleaded with him.

The doctor relaxed, shaking his head before deciding. "She had quite a few internal injuries that we were able to stabilize. Some trauma to the skull, but nothing that protruded the scalp. Most car accidents deal with internal head injuries. Miss Lane is lucky in that respect… and besides two broken ribs, a dislocation to her right shoulder and a closed fracture in her right leg; it's safe to say she's through the worst"

Jonathan and Martha let out a collective sigh of relief, but that knowledge alone didn't make Clark feel any less guilty.

"Can I see her?"

"She's being transferred to the ICU…"

"Wait, I thought you said she was through the worst?" Martha intruded the concern back again.

"We keep severe cases of post-operative patients under close observation for at least the 12 hours before moving them to a recovery room. It's a safety procedure"

"Can I still see her?"

The doctor nodded. "Of course"

"Thank you," he says weakly before turning to his parents. "I'll be right back," he tells them softly.

"Take all the time you need, son." Jonathan held onto his wife as Clark disappeared through the double doors.

_Intensive Care Unit (ICU)_

Intensive care are broadly defines as a service for patients who have potentially recoverable conditions, who can benefit from more detailed observation and invasive treatment than can be provided safely in an ordinary ward or high dependency area.

Clark was grateful she was under immense care.

Looking over her silent form, Clark moved closer, watching her as the monitors sound off with every beat of her heart and pulse, sounds he too could hear.

"Hi," he whispers to her, grabbing a seat to sit by her. He intertwined his hand with her own. Clark weakly smiles. "I told my parents about us." He talks to her as she sleeps; her body numb and tired under strong medication, but that didn't matter to him.

"They're outside, waiting for you." While one of his hands held hers, the other stroked her soft hair. "I'm waiting for you." Tears begin to fall from his eyes. "I love you." He leans closer to her face. "I love you Lois Lane," he says once more. "I love you so much"

Then night came to and Clark remained by her side.

_Recovery Room Next Day_

Lois slept soundly through the night without any complications. By morning, the hospital staff moved her to her own recovery room. At one point in the morning, Clark was forced to change into Superman to answer some questions in regards to her accident that occurred on the highway.

He didn't want to relive that day, but he had to answer questions to avoid suspicion.

According to local investigators, they ruled the incident an accident. Apparently, a deer appeared on the road surprising the truck driver who swerved to avoid it but ended up hitting his and Lois's car in the process.

He didn't know what to feel. Anger. Vengeance. Guilt.

After it was all said and done, Clark flew back and remained by Lois's side once more ever since.

"Mr. Kent." He looks up to see an officer by the doorway.

"Yes"

"The department wanted me to bring you some personal belongings that we found in the wreckage." The young officer places the box on a nearby table. "Your suitcases were taken by your parents earlier this morning"

"Thank you, officer"

"You're welcome. Take care"

When the officer left, Clark slowly stood up and approached the box. Opening the lid, he stares at its contents. It contained most of Lois's belongings. Lipstick, her purse, Jimmy Eat World cd, a notepad and…

A hand-made wooden box, and when he scanned it with his x-ray vision, it had lead interiors. He glanced at Lois for a second before looking back at the box. A large part of him wanted to know what was inside.

Lifting it carefully, he was presented with two rings.

Clark stared at it in shock, before having the guts to lift it from its resting place. His enhanced vision caught an inscription made in the inside of the male ring.

_My heart I give you forever – Lois Lane… Kent_

Clark nearly fell to his knees.

That was the secret.

That's why she's been acting differently the past few days. She was going to propose to him and he ruined it.

"Oh God," he says, holding his tears and grief.

He sped out of the room.

**To be continued…**


	10. Rise

**Author's Notes**: I found the idea interesting to put Lois and Clark in a normal setting when I put her through the accident. For years, Clark worries over the people he loved because he brought unnecessary danger to their lives. He wished to be normal. Well, normal also has to deal with war, famine, love, loss, disease, accidents, etc. It's a possibility that could happen but not something we overly think about in our daily lives. I wanted to explore that and I hope you all didn't mind.

**Chapter 10 - Rise**

_Metropolis, Daily Planet _

Clark stood atop the Daily Planet building holding the wedding rings in his hand. He got scared, not knowing how to face her when she woke up. Will she hate him? Worst of all, will she leave him?

Clark didn't know or if he can even contemplate the notion.

To him, the past month… it's been amazing and it further enforced why he loves her.

He closed his eyes remembering the first time they met.

"_Are you okay? What's your name?"_

"_I don't know"_

"_I need to get you to a hospital"_

"_I am fine"_

"_You've just been hit by lightning. You're stark naked and you don't even remember your own name. You have a fairly loose definition of 'fine'"_

Then he remembered the first time they admitted to being friends.

"_You're amazing, Smallville. You always look for the best in people even when they walk all over you"_

"_I guess that explains why we're friends"_

_Lois looked suspicious, but amused. "Oh we're friends now?"_

"_Well, I won't tell anyone if you don't"_

Then the sudden departure and how much they've both grown since last seeing each other in Smallville until they met again, right here at the Daily Planet.

"_Hi Lois," he greets meekly._

_Lois quickly turned her attention to Perry White. "What's this all about, chief?"_

"_Lane, I want you to meet your new partner"_

"_Tell me you're kidding"_

She was beautiful and so strong and unyielding in her convictions.

When she knows something is right, or that she believes it is right, she fought him about it because even if he knew it was wrong, she'll stick to it until the end and he loves her more because of it.

Her passion for life and justice is what attracted him to her.

But it was also the little things… a gesture or a look, a comment or a critique that made him fall head over heels in love with her.

She's everything and more.

_Smallville General Recovery Room_

Her body was frail, practically fragile. She tried to sit up by Martha refused to let her move an inch. Jonathan was there too, talking to her about everyday things. How the tracker didn't run properly this morning to the list of groceries Martha is going to buy later tonight.

It was their voices she woke up to.

"Really, Mrs. Kent, you don't have to do that. That's what the hospital staff is for"

Martha smiled warmly but refused to lose out. "I want to"

"Mr. Kent, talk to your wife," she softly chided Martha's husband, who sat vigil in a chair with a grin on his face. A smile that was amazingly similar to Clark's.

"Impossible, Lois. If I do that, she wouldn't be my wife," he says proudly.

Lois smiled despite the position she's in. They were always very kind and protective of her, but they still very much respected her space. She looked away and out her room window and wondered where Clark was.

"He's been gone for a while," she says out loud. Jonathan and Martha throw each other worried glances. Lois looks to them. "Is there something wrong?"

Martha gave her one of her motherly looks and takes a seat close to her side.

"Oh, that doesn't look good," Lois observed fearfully.

"We don't know where he is, he left suddenly. He got a little scared"

Lois scrunched her nose. Does he feel responsible for this? That's ridiculous, she thought. "It wasn't his fault"

"It's hard to convince that to a boy who bears the safety of the whole world on his shoulders," Martha softly reminded her, pushing some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "And yours"

When Lois was in the operating room, Clark told his parents everything that has happened between him and Lois for the past couple of months. He told her everything about himself. His arrival to Earth. The meteors affect on people and him. The abilities. His heritage. Everything. Lois was still adjusting to the newfound openness.

"It still doesn't make it his fault"

"Give him time, sweetie. He'll be here"

"I should've just asked him," the recovering young woman suddenly confessed much to the confusion of both Mr. and Mrs. Kent.

"Asked him what, Lois?" Martha asks.

"I…" she faltered a bit before taking the plunge. "I was going to ask him if he wanted to marry me."

Martha and Jonathan gasped. Not in surprise but happiness.

"OH…" Martha embraced her carefully and lovingly.

Jonathan joined the two but taking a position on Lois's other side. "Why didn't you?" he asked curiously, taking a hold of her one hand as Martha held onto the other.

She shrugged. "I guess I was trying to find the right time, we've only really been dating a month. I didn't want to add any pressure, or I don't know. I can't figure out any reason anymore why I shouldn't have just asked him instead of letting it occupy my mind all week"

Martha shook her head, amused. "You and my son have a lot more in common than you realize." She held Lois's hand a tighter. "What happened on that road wasn't' your fault either"

"You're suppose to say that," she protested. "You're like… supermom!"

Jonathan burst out in small laughter and Martha almost had the urge to roll her eyes at him. She looks back at Lois's beautiful hazel eyes.

"You are!" Lois confirmed even further.

"Sweetie," Martha began softly. "Accidents happen. That's what this is. An accident. Clark will come home to you; you're all he ever talks about whenever we see him. He loves you and he will come back"

Lois nods. It's hard to not believe in Martha Kent.

Thirty minutes later, they leave to run a few errands and Lois makes a decision and calls the only other person who may know how to find him.

_Metropolis, Daily Planet (Three Hours Later)_

"You're a hard man to track, Mr. Kent"

Clark turned around and comes face to face with Bruce Wayne.

"What are you doing here?"

Bruce hopped on the ledge and looked down on the city. "Looking for you, believe it or not." One step over another, he walks it naturally and without fear. Clark stares at him skeptically.

"Why?"

"A mutual friend of ours is worried about you"

Mutual friend? Clark's eyes go wide.

"Lois," he whispers.

Bruce simply nodded his reply.

"She called you?"

"To find you," Bruce answers.

Clark turns away, his hand combing through his messed up hair. He wore the golden ring on his left ring finger.

"I see she finally proposed to you"

Clark spun back around.

"What?"

Bruce points to his bare ring finger, visually indicating to Clark what he was referring to. Clark looked down on his hand.

"Oh." He twirled the ring around his finger, fastly becoming a habit. He shook his head awkwardly. "I didn't know she was going to"

Bruce is surprised, but he didn't show it much.

Clark continued. "We were driving to Smallville when it happened. I kept asking her what was wrong, and she didn't really give me a direct answer."

Bruce knew all too well what he was getting at. "You didn't cause the accident, Clark and she knows that. It never crossed her mind"

"It doesn't make me feel any better"

"Traumatic events rarely do"

"You speak from experience"

"Unfortunately," Bruce sadly admits. "And at this very moment, another accident is happening out there, are you going to blame yourself for that too?"

"I don't want a lecture," Clark says in an aggravated tone.

"Good. Cuz I don't want to give it." There's a pause. Both men strong in their own beliefs. Bruce speaks out again. "Lois loves you Clark, there's no question about it. Either you fear for the rest of your life or hope for the best and live in happiness. You can have that with her, and the first step to doing that is getting yourself off this building and back next to Lois's side."

"What are you, my advocated?" Clark quipped, surprised that Bruce was helping him.

"Maybe I'm just a friend"

"I'm afraid of losing her," Clark finally admits, not just out loud but to himself.

"And I'm afraid of failure. There. That's something else we have in common"

Clark nodded his mind a little clearer. Before he leaves, he asks Bruce a question.

"How'd you find me?"

Bruce didn't answer, he simply smirked. Clark shakes his head and twists the knob. Another question popped in his head and he spun back around, but when he did, Bruce was already gone.

With the coast clear and an appreciative sigh, Clark flies out of there.

_Smallville General_

Clark arrived back in Smallville a few seconds after leaving Metropolis. It was a little past five in the afternoon when he arrived to her room. As he suspected, she's sleeping peacefully. The room looks a lot more accommodating than the ICU have been.

He walked in slowly and softly so he didn't wake her.

Sitting by her as he did the first night, he begins talking while she continues to sleep.

"I love you," he professed. "I don't think I can ever stop telling you that"

"Don't ever let me stop you," he heard her say. Clark smiled as Lois's eyes open. She looks at him with a big smile. "I love you too," she added.

"Hey," he uttered softly, leaning forward on the bed. Clark couldn't take his eyes off her. "You had me worried"

"Hmm…" she loved the feel of his hands on her skin. "That makes two of us"

"How do you feel?"

"Better, now that you're here"

Clark cupped her face and leaned further in order to kiss her. A kiss full of love, hope and dreams.

Lois gently placed her hand above his when she feels something familiar.

"You found it," she says in quiet shock. "You're wearing it too," she added with more surprise.

Clark chuckled. "When I saw it, I had to have it on. I don't think I can ever part with it anymore than I can be apart from you"

"Then I think we're gonna have a problem"

He frowned. "Why?"

"What would millions of adoring Superman fans think when they learn that he's officially off the market?"

Clark grinned.

"That's going to be a problem," he says playfully.

"Yes it is. What do you suggest we do?" Lois asks, equally playful.

"I think." He gives her a kiss. "We should." And another kiss. "Elope." He kissed her again.

Lois raised her eyebrows. "I take that as a 'yes' to my 'intended' proposal?"

"What do you think?"

"I can think of a few things," she implies, tracing her fingers down the buttons of his shirt. "Can I show you?"

He glared at her, even though he didn't want to. "Honey"

"Yeah"

"You're still in recovery"

"So?"

"Lois"

She sighed. "Okay, okay. You take away my fun, Smallville." Clark smiled and joined himself in bed with her and once he did so, he took the other ring out and placed it on her finger. Perfect fit, just like his own. She beamed at him.

"Promise me it'll always be like this"

Clark kisses her forehead. "I don't have to promise you, Lois. I'll show you"

**The End**

**Author's End Notes**: Flashback sequences from the actual Smallville Season 4 episode was taken from **Zoomway's** reviews. The resolution was pretty direct considering that both Lois and Clark had the support of Clark's parents and Bruce Wayne.


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